Forbidden Child
by Hime Shinra
Summary: AU fanfic of parental!royXed and eventual royXriza. Roy Mustang's life turned into a chaos right after Lil' Ed barged into his life. How will Maes and Riza help him in his new adventure called 'fatherhood' despite of his young age?
1. Chapter 1

_I don't know why I have to be here_

_For I am forbidden to exist, even by the almighty himself_

In the Central City Military Headquarters of Amestris, there was a 20-year old man named Roy Mustang who had just been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. With his right-hand woman Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, he is now ready to go on his first task as a Lieutenant Colonel.

"Come in, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang" the Fuhrer said, after a few knocks on the door. He went inside and gave a salute to the commander-in-chief of the country. "You and your partner are now assigned to go to this place in the east called Resembool. The details of your task are written in this file" he said, as he gave a folder to him. "The train tickets are prepared. I've given it to Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye"

After a few more words, the lieutenant colonel gave a salute to the Fuhrer and turned back. He went out of the room and read the file as he walked out of the HQ with his second lieutenant.

On the train, they both sit face-to-face, mouth kept shut from each other. As the train moves and leaves the central, she wondered what kind of task that was given to them, because since her superior closed the file, she saw his face showing a great curiosity, and a great anger and disappointment at the same time.

"Sir," she suddenly said, breaking out the silence between them.

"What is it?"

"Mind if I ask what the task was?"

"We're...we're supposed to look for a man in Resembool... An alchemist named Hohenheim"

"Then why you looked so disappointed?"

"He was committing a taboo. Human transmutation, that is"

"Oh..."

"We have to take care of the evidence and bring it back to the laboratory for further research"

"Why did the Fuhrer gave this task to us? Shouldn't the research and investigation team do this?"

"Well, recently they've been busy with investigations regarding to a children serial killer in the south and more cases of illegal transmutations done by several state alchemists. Luckily the top brass still got their trust on me in this kind of situation."

After a few days on the rail, they finally reached their destination: a quiet village in the east called Resembool. It was raining, but they can't stay in this place for long. So, they immediately went to the Elric family residence, where it had been said that Hohenheim used to live there.

Roy knocked on the wooden door. No answer. Then, he walked to the back and found a door with broken lock. As he shoved the door in, a long creaky sound echoes in the room. He then stepped in, followed by Riza at the back and the sound of a gun click, meaning that his subordinate is ready with her gun. As they went deeper into the house, they felt a scent of rusting iron on their nose that was getting stronger and stronger, mixing with the heavy scent of dust.

"Blood"

She nodded, and kept walking behind her superior. As they walked into a small room which seemed to be the study, they found the shelves are full of dusty books, and the floor was covered in old papers with handwritings and bloodstains on it. Their brief clack-clack-clack footsteps made by their boots were soon followed by the crisp sound of the papers and dusts arising in the air. She coughed a bit from all the dusts, while he leaned down and collected some pieces of the papers. The lighting wasn't too good in the room, so he grabbed an old piece of wood and sparked it up. She then held the fired-up wood as he grabbed a chair and studied the notes written on the paper that seemed to be alchemy notes. As Roy read the notes, Riza peeked into the notes, but couldn't seem to understand even a single sentence in it since it was full of advanced calculations, runic circles, and words that you can only find in alchemy-related books. She wanted to help more, but she knew she can't do anything but hold the fire up for him, because she's not an alchemist and he's the only one in the spot who can decipher what was written on the papers, and perhaps it can give them a clue on what was really happened in Resembool. "I'll go round the back," Riza said, as she made another torch from an old candlestick that was sticking on a plate. She shared the fire and put it on the stack of dusty books next to him. When she walked back to the door, her sharp eyes turned to an old sketch of a woman lied on top of the stack of books at corner of the room. She then turned her foot there and started to walk.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Creak. Clack

She grabbed the paper and looked at the sketch, which seemed to be incomplete. On the bottom of the paper, she found some handwritten letters. It was hard to read but it didn't take long for her to get used to.

"Tree...Tri...Trisha...Trisha...Elric?"

Roy suddenly stood up, and put the papers on top of the stack of books next to the candlestick she had prepared before.

"Sir?"

"Walk backwards"

"What?"

"I said, walk backwards!"

She walked backwards as told, and again, the voice from the steps echoes.

Clack. Creak. Clack. Clack. Clack.

"Walk forward"

Thinking that he's playing fun on her, Riza walked forward again

Clack. Clack. Clack. Creak.

"STOP!"

Before she walked on another step, she was surprised by her superior's voice and tripped over. Another rising dusts and a louder creak, followed by coughs of a man and a woman.

"You okay?" He asked, as he gave a hand to his subordinate. She nodded, and grabbed her superior's hand. As she stood up, they found that there was a hidden door on the spot where she fell.

"It's made of wood and looks pretty old. No wonder there was a funny creaking sound every time you stepped on it"

"What shall we do, sir? Shall we open it or leave it alone?"

"I had a bad feeling about this...We better open it"

Using the dusts, Roy quickly sketched a simple transmutation circle on the floor with his fingers and created an axle. He then removed the wooden closing and saw stairs that were going down.

"Shall we go down?"

"We better contact the HQ and ask for the backup team to go here. I feel that there's something dangerous in there. Could be a chimera or..."

"Or what, sir?"

"A beast...a failed human transmutation"

"How did you know that?"

"From the notes that I found, it seemed to be about human transmutation. I've seen a failure object once in the state laboratory and I never wanted to see it twice. It's horrible, and I don't want you to see it"

"Sir, soldiers are meant to see horrible things"

"May I ask why do you insist to go down there right now? It isn't like you to insist on something so bad"

She wanted to reply, but before she spit out the word, she stopped. The last sentence that her superior said hit her right on the spot. She then closed her eyes, and put her hands on her ears. As a warm and pleasant atmosphere gather around her, she opened her eyes and hold his hands, and started to move her lips and spoke with the softest voice she ever pull out in her life

_I heard a voice..._

_A voice of a lonely soul..._

_Searching for true warmth and happiness..._

_And he wants you and me..._

Roy isn't the type of man who's insensitive. He knew that there was something different about is second lieutenant. Her eyes, her voice, her aura, everything changed... as if something had been into her.

Ignoring her superior's order, she walked down the stairs all by herself with her second lieutenant following her at the back, trying not to make her go down. But it's useless. She kept walking down the stairs followed by their own silhouettes from their torches reflecting on the wall and the clack-clack voice of their boots that were getting louder due to the echo, blocking his voice. When she finally stopped, they both saw a door. The hard scent of blood made them put their palms on their noses. His head imagines a horrible creature battered in blood was inside, like one of the guinea pigs that he saw in the state lab before. Before her hands reached out to the doorknob, he grabbed her hands and put it away from the door.

"Wait, don't open the door"

He said, as he grabbed his gloves and put it on. Before they could move another muscle, a loud echoing voice came out of the room, a voice that is similar to one that belongs to wild beasts.

"Maybe there's a chimera inside. Let me go in first..."

Too late. She opened the door already. But he still had a chance to warn her not to step in.

"No, it's not a chimera, sir. It sounds like a child's wail"

She's right, he thought. It sounds like a child's wail. She then stepped into the darkness, alone with only a single torch on her left. He waited outside, grabbed his watch and look at the time.

_Five minutes. If she's not back within five minutes then I'll call the backup teams. _

Not long after that, he heard someone stepping back from the darkness. He sighed in relief, and he suddenly realized that he worries too much. He didn't really pay that much attention to women in the military, except to this 15-year old second lieutenant sniper prodigy, or simply put, his sensei's daughter. As he leaned to the wall, he realized that each time her footsteps were getting near, the wail was getting clearer.

"Oh no..."


	2. Chapter 2

Just as he thought, she went back with the thing that was wailing. It was wrapped in a white cloth, battered and bleeding.

"Second Lieutenant Hawkeye, I want you to put that thing back this instant! That monster could be dangerous..."

"What monster, sir?"

The cloth was pulled back, and there he saw it: a little boy with golden hair and eyes, crying out loud in her arms. The lieutenant colonel then put the torch up and examined the boy from head to toe. Perfect. His body parts are perfect. A perfect ordinary boy like this can't be born out of alchemy. He thought that he was just an ordinary lost boy or a child abuse victim until he saw a tattoo that looks more like a runic circle on his little skinny back. He then stepped into the dark room and with the help of the torch, he could see clearer. As his eyes were fitting in with the light, he saw traces of blood on the floor. The further he went through the room, the clearer the mystery is getting.

"This can't be...these traces of blood was a runic circle...and the shape is similar to the boy's tattoo! That child...That child is born out of alchemy!"

He then ran out of the room, and leaned on the wall. He closed his eyes and focused on the memories of the files that he read on the train.

Hohenheim was a really great alchemist. Rumors said that he was the first alchemist who attempted to perform alchemy without transmutation circle and once he created the philosopher's stone. For an alchemist his size and the legendary stone, it is possible to create a boy out of alchemy. But for what reason he created a boy?

"Second Lieutenant Hawkeye"

"Yes, sir?"

"I want you to go to the nearest doctor in town and take care of this boy. I will stay here for a while to gather proof and information"

"Proof and information? You mean..."

"Yes, that's right. He is the monster that I feared before, the thing that the Fuhrer told us to look for. That boy...is the result of the first ever successful human transmutation attempt"

"No... I can't believe it! Even an alchemist as good as my father can't make such perfect human transmutation!"

"Hawkeye, look; we're dealing with Hohenheim, an alchemist that is far greater than your father...no, an alchemist that is far greater than any state alchemists in Amestris. Plus, he got the philosopher's stone. Making a boy like that is as easy as a pie for him"

He finally convinced her to look for a doctor, despite of the rainstorm that was getting harder. The house was pretty old and the rainstorm could knock it off, and the child really needs help. So off she went with the little boy in her arms wrapped with her raincoat so he won't get wet. He was helplessly crying because of the glaring thunder.

The sky was dark. Nobody was out in such weather except her, all alone, running with all the strength she got. Her boots were wet, she felt so cold, and her ears almost exploded hearing the booming thunder mixing with the drip-drop of the raindrops and the splish-splosh of her footsteps. But she has to hurry or the boy will die. Along the way, she turned her head left and right trying to find a place that might have a doctor in it.

Thirty minutes passed away, she kneeled down, protecting the boy with her body. She was soaking wet, her uniform was getting heavy, and she was out of breath. He was getting wet, and they are now far, far away from the house. She didn't know what to do, until she saw a clash of light in the middle of the darkness. She focused on the source of light and saw a silhouette of a house. She walked closer and her sight was getting clearer. There was a board displayed on the front. With her eyes that were soaking wet, she hardly read the letters that were carved on the wooden board.

"Automail Makers... Rockbell Prosthetics"

_Prosthetic makers... maybe there's a doctor too... they're dealing with human body anyways,_ she thought, as she stepped onto the wooden terrace and knocked on the door. The first reply she received was a dog's bark, and then a creaky grandmother voice saying "Coming!"

The door slowly opened and she saw a stunted old granny, showing a great disappointment on her face right after she realized that it was a military person bothering her in the storm.

"What do you want here? As you can see, we have nothing for military folks like you"

"Um... granny, I don't need your help... this boy... he..."

She tried to speak between her gasps, but before it was too late, she gave the boy to the granny.

"Please... help... him..."

She fell on the floor as soon as the granny grabbed the boy and everything went black.

Meanwhile, back in the old house, Roy was still in the study, searching for information about the transmutation of the boy they found. As he stacked the scattered papers from the floor, he saw a dusty folder that was buried before. He grabbed the torch and put the lights closer to it, and saw a name carved on the front

"...Ed... Ward... Elric"

Opening the folder carefully, he then flapped through the dusty yellow papers of handwritten texts. He quickly closed it and put a small grin on his face

"Bingo"

Morning came.

Riza opened her eyes slowly, and quickly finds herself that she's still at the Rockbell Prosthetics, lied on a stretcher in the patient's room. She then managed to stand up and get her coat. Putting them on, she then walked out of the room and found her superior at the door.

"Oh...M-morning, sir..."

"Morning, Hawkeye"

She then shoved out of the door and let her superior came in. As she tried to get herself fully awake, she tried to remember what happened yesterday until she remembered about the golden-haired boy that they found.

"Um...sir, about that boy..."

"He's save and he's healthy. You can see him outside after breakfast. He's playing with Winry, the Rockbells' daughter"

She then washed her face at the basin, and managed to find her breakfast on the kitchen table. A butter croissant and a glass of milk. Better than nothing, she thought. She then finished them and after she put the dishes back on the basin, she walked towards the main entrance and opened the door. As she feels the fresh morning air and the warm sunshine of Resembool, she heard children laughing. The boy was there with the girl, playing tag with Den the dog. As she saw him rolling on the grass with Den, laughing happily with Winry, she let out a sigh, a relieved sigh. She was relieved that the boy was okay.

"Edward!" Roy suddenly called out from the back, surprising his subordinate. The boy looked up, followed with an innocent smile and his sweet childish voice replied back, clear and loud.

"Edward? Is that his name?"

"Yes, I found a file about the details of his transmutation last night and from there I knew that his name is Edward Elric. I'll check the details later on the train before I handed it to the top brass"

Right after he called for him once more, Edward quickly jumped up and ran towards him. He then lifted him up and tossed him in the air. Riza just smiled at them and they both looked like as if they were brothers – no, could be father and son. She never saw her superior like this. Nobody in the military knew that he could be that kind with kids.

A few hours later, when the sun was up, the three of them prepared to leave. Edward must go with them, as he is the main reason why the two military folks from central came all the way here to the quiet little village in the east.

"NO! EDWARD CAN'T GO!" Winry suddenly shouted, when they were about to go on the train. Edward, who was being held by Riza, just innocently stared at his new best friend.

"Don't be ridiculous, Winry. The military folks came all the way here to get him" Granny Pinako tried to calm her down, as she started to cry and wiped her tears with her granny's apron.

"NO! I DON'T WANT HIM TO GO! FIRST, THEY TOOK AWAY MOMMY AND DADDY AND NOW THEY WANNA TOOK AWAY MY NEW FRIEND!"

Roy and Riza knew what she meant. The Rockbell doctors were quite famous around military folks in Ishbal War period, especially to the flame alchemist himself. Roy kneeled down, and looked into Winry's weeping eyes

"I promise, I'm gonna take Edward back again sometime... Or if you have a chance to visit Central, I'm going to make sure that you had some time to be with him"

"Really? Then can we play again?"

As the little girl started to smile, he smiled back, followed with a nod. The little girl cheered, and Edward smiled too. The train was about to leave, so they quickly went in and had a seat. As the train started to move, he waved to his first best friend until she was gone by the distance.

In the train, the passengers stared at the two young military personnel sharply. How could they not, if it's a young man and a young woman in military uniform, high-ranked for people their age, known as Ishbal war heroes, and a little boy which somehow seemed to be mistaken as their son.

Hours later, in that very uncomfortable situation, suddenly a freight train passed down the opposite track, and the scaring noise woke the little golden-haired boy, which later on continued with a loud wail. Riza was surprised hearing him cry. It was a bit late, and most of the passengers were sleeping. She was afraid that his wail bothers everyone. Clueless on what to do to calm him down, she tried to wake her superior up.

"Sir, wake up! The boy is crying and I don't know what to do!"

Cold sweat was dripping all over his body. He was awake, but he knew if he wakes up, a bigger trouble would get into him. Ignoring his subordinate whose holding Edward on one hand and shaking his body up with another hand, he kept pretending to sleep. She didn't dare to scold such little boy, and if she did he wouldn't understand and cried more. She tried to rock him, but he's still crying. She felt that one louder wail and her eardrums were about to explode. As she sits next to her superior, he calmed down. She realized that Edward wants to be with the Lieutenant Colonel, so she carefully put him next to the sleeping Flame Alchemist. Edward managed to climb up to his laps, and lie himself on his chest. Roy realized that there's a funny little thing crawling and tugging on his uniform, and when he opened his eyes, he was surprised seeing that little boy clinging on his military uniform.


	3. Chapter 3

"Lieutenant, I want a quick explanation why does this boy clinging on my uniform?"

"Well sir, he will cry if I put him away from you. For the sake of the whole passengers and him, please bear with it. Besides, alchemists live for the sake of others, sir"

He was too damn tired to give a damn care about what will people think seeing him sleeping on the train hugging a darn little boy, so he closed his eyes again and sleep. He put one of his arms on the little skinny body to prevent him falling off his laps.

"CENTRAL CITY STATION! CENTRAL CITY STATION! PLEASE CHECK YOUR BELONGINGS BEFORE LEAVING THE TRAIN!"

The sound of the stationmaster woke them up, and they found themselves still in the same place last time they left it awake. They grabbed their belongings, including Edward, and left the train.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, a short trip to the east and you both got yourselves a son, eh?"

They turned back and it was Maes Hughes, his bestfriend since they were in the military academy.

"For the last time, Maes! We're not dating or doing anything ridiculous in the east and this isn't our son!"

"Roy, you gotta be honest. Is he adopted or is he born through alchemy?"

"Born through alchemy. I..."

"Oh, so you've been learning medical alchemy for that. How did you feel, Riza? Is it hurt?"

"Wha...?"

"Hughes..."

"Ooh, whose this little boy's name? Aww he's so cute like his mommy and daddy... Hello there little buddy my name is Uncle Maes..."

"Hughes..."

"Riza, I think you should take a medical leave..."

"HUGHES!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh..."

Again, the little golden-eyed boy cried. His wail was so loud that almost the whole station could hear him, beating all the noises from the crowd and the sound of the engines. Roy snatched him from Riza's arms and rocked him a little. Five seconds later he's quiet again. Before Maes spit out another word, Roy shut his mouth with his other hand and gave him the folder. As he flapped open page by page, his face was getting more serious and looked sharply into their eyes

"Understand now, Hughes?"

A few minutes later in the car, Edward was sitting on Roy's laps, looking through the window with enthusiasm and a big smile on his face. Hughes was in the front seat, reading the files seriously. Riza was sleeping on his shoulder. She was lack of sleep because she can't resist the cuteness of his superior and the little boy sleeping together, as if they were really father and son.

In the HQ, he got an order to go to the Fuhrer's office immediately. Forgetting the fact that he was bringing a little boy on his back, he rushed into the commander-in-chief's office, ignoring his subordinate's warning about the boy.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang"

"Good afternoon, my Fuhrer"

"Before I asked you more, will you tell me what is that little boy doing on your back?"

He remembered that he forgot to give the boy to Riza. Now with a little boy clinging on his back, he had to report everything that he did in the east.

"My Fuhrer, maybe you won't believe it due to his perfect condition but he, Edward Elric, is the thing we were looking for, the result of human transmutation created by Hohenheim"

"And how can you prove that, Lieutenant Colonel?"

"I got the files that can proof that he is the result of human transmutation, and there are some witnesses and proofs in Resembool that can back me up with this"

"Can I see him more closely, Mustang?"

"Yes, Sir"

He slowly put him on the Fuhrer's desk. As the leader of the country examined Edward from head to toe, he looked into the innocent golden eyes and saw his own reflection. Edward was about to cry until he puts his stare away and put his attention back to Roy.

"I never heard of such perfect result of human transmutation. But I do have to put on deaf ear on such common information since we're dealing with Hohenheim. Aside of that, this is a very remarkable achievement of yours, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang"

"Thank you for the praise, my Fuhrer"

"Now that your business is done, I will take this child to be taken care further by the right hands."

The door suddenly opened and people who seemed to be scientists from the state laboratory came in. An assistant nurse then took Edward away, and he started to cry, stretching his hands trying to grab the Lieutenant Colonel, but his hands were too small and the gap between the person he's trying to grab were too far to reach. He got this guilty feeling bugging his mind, but he can't do anything about it.

Yes, that little guy will be better handled with those professionals rather than the untrained and the inexperienced ones like him or Hawkeye…

Or so he thought.

Three weeks had passed since that day, and the sad face of Lil' Ed still bugs his mind. He told himself that the boy is now cared under the right hands and tried to concentrate to his work, but he still can't. With a boy bugging his mind, he got a visit from a person that he didn't want to meet the most now.

"Hi there, Roy!"

As usual, Maes cheerfully entered his room with a bright smile on his face. A real contrast to his depressed face that was sunk under the high piles of papers. He rose his head up and pulled his body to the back of the chair.

"Well, well. If it isn't my best friend Hughes...How can I help you?"

"I just wanted to tell you about my girlfriend Gracia! She's so beautiful, isn't she?" Maes said, as he shoved the pictures of his girl to Roy. He quickly shoved it back, and sighed.

"If you only want to brag about her as usual, get the hell outta here. I'm busy"

"No. I still have something to tell you"

"What? Is it about your dreams of having a family and kids?"

"No. Okay, let's get down to the real business. I wanted to tell you that as a best friend of yours, I am so proud of..."

"Of what?"

"Of how heartless you are"

_WHAT? _

"Heartless? Are you talking about the Ishbal war?"

"No, I'm talking about that boy... What's his name... uh, Edward?"

He stood up from his chair, grabbed Maes's coat, and pinned him to the wall.

"Tell me, what happened to him?"

His sigh soon followed by a chuckle, and then a grin.

"I thought so. You're still curious about him"

"I'm serious. Tell me, what happened to him that you call me heartless?"

"See it for yourself. Now or you'll find his corpse inside failed experiment's incinerator."

Roy finally released him and barged out of the room. He went to the parking lot and found Riza in one of the military cars, as if she was waiting for him. He jumped in and she quickly drove away.

"Lieutenant, please take me to..."

"The third laboratory, sir?"

"How did you know that... Wait! Hughes must've told you"

"Yes, he did"

"Okay, now quick! I got a bad feeling about this..."

"Right away, sir!"

When they both finally reached the third lab, they jumped out of the car and ran straight into bio-alchemy research division building. They both were running in the corridors, looking for Ed until Roy broke into a locked room. From the big glass window of the room, they both saw him in a very bad condition. Stitches and bandages on his hands and arms, cables and pipes were stuck on his body, his eyes were crying in sorrow, crying for help. From the size and appearance of his skinny body, we could tell that he's not receiving proper consumption. He's being treated like those entire heartless chimeras.

No. He's not another of those heartless talking chimeras. He's not another of those guinea pigs for experiments. He is a child. A human being, even though he is born out of alchemy. But creatures who had heart, feelings and a healthy mind, are humans.

"Oh my God...Lieutenant! What have we done? If we were his parents the social workers could've sue us for _Munchhausen by proxy!"_

"That poor boy...I can't bare to see him like this. Sir! Can't we do anything to help him out of this hell?"

She started to cry, and he tried to calm her down. He hugged her and stroked her back gently, just like what he did to her every time she's sad back when he's still her father's apprentice.

Tears, he thought.

Again, tears that were dropped because of an unreasonable reason related to alchemy.

Alchemy supposed to be for the sake of people. They're not supposed to harm. Ishbal massacre is no exception, neither this. What should I do? He thought.

_I do not want to be useless again._

_I will not stand and watch like a coward again._

_For now I live to pay all my sins in the Ishbal massacre._

"Lieutenant, step aside"

He snatched his glove and put it on his right hand. Rising his hands, he adjusted the oxygen and quickly snapped out a flame to destroy the door. Dusts quickly fills the air, and both barged in and dashed towards the little boy to rescue him.


	4. Chapter 4

Lil' Ed was confused, scared, and weak.

_Will they inject me with those weird medicines that make me sick?_

_Will they incise my body again?_

_Or will they put more cables or pipes on me?_

As the dusts go down, he realized that all the cables and pipes were removed from him. His body was being wrapped in a black leather coat.

"You're save now, Lil' Ed"

He smiled, realizing that it was they – the people who found him back in Resembool. He started to laugh and gave Roy and Riza a warm hug. With his little hands, he cannot reach out to their bodies, but it was the warmest hug they ever received.

"Okay Lil' Edward, let's go home"

As they walked and brought him out of the lab, Lil' Ed was curling up peacefully in Roy's arms. The tap-tap voice of their boots echoing in the corridors of the lab sounded like lullabies. The sickening scent of disinfectant was drowned by his cologne. Somehow the smooth rubber gloves of the scientists were less comfortable than his rough military uniform.

It was his happiest day ever since he was born. The first day he felt such warmness in his heart.

Meanwhile, the three adults were discussing about him.

"What will you do now, sir?"

"We can't take him to the orphanage, Roy. It's too risky...the military could investigate it easily and took the boy back"

"Then, what? DO I HAVE TO ADOPT HIM?"

"I guess that's the only possible way, sir"

"Brilliant idea, Roy! I'm sure those girls won't mind being a mother right after they're married with you! And I think it'll be less tiring if you already had a child right from the start!"

"Maes, quit talking about marriage! You should've spoken for yourself – when would you propose Gracia? If you really want a child, you could take him NOW!"

"No... That little boy fits with you. Besides, I can always 'borrow' your child if I want to..."

"Maes, quit speaking about 'borrowing' or 'adopting' or 'wedding' because..."

"Because what? Lieutenant Colonel Mustang?"

The three stopped their foot in front of the main door.

"Fuhrer King Bradley..."

Fuhrer King Bradley stood in front of the main door with a sense of pride, blocking the three with his armed men behind the door.

"You know, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, I could've court-martial you this second for interfering with state alchemy research"

"And why you did not do so, my Fuhrer?"

"I wanted to hear your reason why did you dare to break into the laboratory and steal a research item?"

"My Fuhrer, for whatever he is or whoever he is, he is just a boy! He is innocent! He shouldn't be treated like those chimeras! He is a human being!"

"Human being, you say? Well, well... I thought it was you who found the boy and confirmed that he is born out of transmutation and we have proved that your statement is true. Any creature born out of alchemy is not human being, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang. Therefore we can treat him in any way we like"

"But Fuhrer! He has a soul! He has a healthy mind! His body is perfect! I think he is worth to be stated as human! You..."

"Do not interfere, Second Lieutenant Hawkeye! This is a discussion between the commander-in-chief and a state alchemist!"

She had no choice but to keep silent.

A minute passed. The Fuhrer and his men were still standing in front of the main door, blocking their way with their guns. A signal from him and they're all shot to death. A very uncomfortable silence had filled the air, second by second their lungs were forced to inhale them.

He tried to keep calm, for he did not want to make everyone worry. He could've got out easily by giving in the boy, but why the hell are they there in the first place? And he's the one who made the decision to steal the boy from the lab, not them.

Five minutes passed.

And one idea

That idea isn't actually bad, but he's not sure whether he's ready to take it. But it's the only way to get out ALIVE.

Now, or never – no, actually. Leave the building with your badges intact to your uniforms or not - that's the only choice.

As the Fuhrer's hand leading upwards to order the soldiers behind him to shoot them, the young lieutenant colonel suddenly spoke out.

"My Fuhrer!"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang?"

The straight look in the eye made a doubt in his heart. Is he ready to take the decision? He turned his eyes to Lil' Ed and the owner of the round golden eyes looked at him back with a smile on his face.

He can't resist it.

As he walked closer to the Fuhrer, he sighed, and whispered to himself.

_God, please sue me for making the most ridiculous decision in my whole life._

Roy cleared his throat, and began to speak, "I am here... to get this boy"

"Pardon me?"

"Do forgive me and my curiosity, My Fuhrer. I am interested with this case ever since I was put to work on this and I would like to conduct my own research about the theory of his transmutation"

"And?"

"And I would ask your permission whether I am allowed to take care of this child by myself"

"Take care...does that mean you wanted to be a father, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang?"

His heart almost jumped out of his chest hearing the 'father' statement. Can't he use something younger like, brother? He thought. That doesn't matter now. What matters now is how the hell he will get out of there without humiliating himself in front of the Fuhrer and later in the future.

"Think about it, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang. You are still young, you're in your twenties, and you're still single. And I know your reputation with the women in town, too. If you were me, is this decision is wise, to let an unmarried and inexperienced man taking care of a very important state research material?"

He gulped, cold sweat dripping all over his body and down to the floor. He cannot think of anything else to say. He looked hopelessly to Hawkeye, then to Hughes. No answer. What should he do? Left the boy off to those savages or humiliating yourself to Amestris and become a young single father?

"..."

"Edward? Did you... say something?"

He could feel that the little boy in his arms is trying to say something. The little body is squirming and swinging in his arms, trying to get his attention. He turned his body to his face, and looked at his face straight in the eye, trying to listen what he is trying to say

"...ad..."

"What? I can't hear you, Edward! Speak louder!"

"...oy..."

"Huh? Louder, Edward, Louder!"

"...DADDY ROY!"

_WHAT THE HELL? _

Jaws dropped, eyes popped. Everyone's shocked.

"Edward...Where the hell did you learned that?"

"...Uncle...Maes!"

Roy turned his eyes straight to his military best friend; eyes showing a powerful blazing spirit of murdering that were far greater than the flames that they saw in Ishbal war.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...I guess this kid is smart... I only mention you as "Daddy Roy" and myself as "Uncle Maes" once back when we're in the central station, right?"

Heck he is smart. Very smart that he could humiliate him in front of his Excellency himself, Roy thought.

The laughter became silence right after Fuhrer Bradley clapped his hands. He went closer to Roy and Lil' Ed and looked at them eye-to-eye. Lil' Ed almost cried again when suddenly his Excellency smiled.

"Five years."

"Pardon me, My Fuhrer?" Roy asked.

"Five years, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang. You may take care of him now, but you have to show me your investigation results in five years. And I suppose to mention that he is now one of the candidates of the future state alchemist"

"And what if I failed, my Fuhrer?"

"I will take care of him under my power again"

Seeing that it's the only chance to get everyone out save and sound, he agreed.

"Thank you very much, my Fuhrer!"

"My pleasure, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang. You all may now dismissed"

After the Fuhrer and his team left, the crowd started to fade, leaving him freezing alone in the corridor

"Hey, Roy? What are you doing? Let's go back and... Roy?"

"MAES..."

"Yeah?"

"WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS KID?"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Another eardrum-piercing wail of Edward

"Geez, Roy! Make him shut up!"

"Oh no, sir! You're wet all over!"

"Wet? Oh hell no, please no… HE'S PEEING ALL OVER ME! GOD IF THIS KID IS IN THE MILITARY I CAN COURT-MARTIAL HIM FOR URINATING A SUPERIOR!"

"Oh come on, Roy! He's just a little boy... He sure got some childhood urinal problems, right?"

"Sir, you have to wash it quickly or it'll smell bad!"

"Your apartment is just a few blocks away, right? Just get yourself clean and dry before going back to the HQ! Pee-w you smell like...urine!"

"Hell yeah how come I didn't smell like piss when a boy's treating me like a toilet? Didn't the bio-alchemy people at least give him diapers?"

And their arguments and teases keep echoing in the whole lab until their voices were gone by the distance.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the building, several people were watching the three jokingly arguing and a wailing boy that seemed to be impossible to calm down.

"So...His name is Edward, isn't he?"

"Or so what I heard from Pride"

"Why did Pride keep him alive? We left him back in Resembool because he's useless, right?"

"You know Pride's nature; he likes to keep useless things"

"At least we got the useful one with us"

"I heard him mentioning that the Lil' useless brat down there is one of the state alchemists' candidate"

"You mean sacrifices, Envy dear"

"Sacrifices...Sacrifices! Lust, can I eat him?"

"No, Gluttony. Not yet"

"I want to eat..."

"Relax, there's always a next time..."


	5. Chapter 5

Another paperwork day at Grand Central Military Headquarters. With mixed feelings in his mind, he went passed the HQ gate with Lil' Edward in his left arm and a lovely kiddy bag which seemed to be packed with baby's needs – Riza and Maes bought it yesterday along with food, clothes and diapers. As he entered the building, every greet that he made seemed to be replied with a funny twitch on their faces. It's expected, he thought. How come they won't respond when the youngest top Amestrisian high-ranked military personnel (and playboy) went to work with a little kid on his arms? Edward was being enthusiastic, and on the trip to the office, he can't stop moving around and made Roy almost wanted to drop him off the streets and leave him alone. There was also a slight glance to squeeze him into the bag with all his needs so he won't be troubled with the heavy loads he have to carry until he reached his office but no, he won't let him die suffocating in that little bag. Besides, the bag itself was already full that a small midget won't even fit in there. Riza Hawkeye wasn't there because she has to accompany her friend Rebecca for a simple trip to West Central to get the papers for their superiors. And guess what? The whole HQ gathered up in the flame alchemist's office to see Mr. Military Playboy's new son...or so what they assumed.

"Aww...hey there Lil' boy..."

"He looks so cute! How come his Excellency thought that he was a chimera?"

To the other subordinates, Roy explained that he's just an ordinary orphan abandoned back in Resembool and somehow mistaken as a chimera. They seem didn't really care, but now he finds it really hard to concentrate on his paperwork due to the noises that ladies make like "Kyaaaa!" or "Eeeeek!" when Edward did something that they thought cute. When Fuery made a funny face, Lil' Ed giggled and the ladies response with the loudest "Kyaaaa!" you ever heard in a military headquarters and that's the point where Roy Mustang had reached the top of his patience-barometer. He stood up from his desk and grabbed Lil' Ed from the table. Everyone thought he was a party pooper and begged him to let Lil' Ed be with them a little more.

"Come on, Edward. It's time for your nap. As for you ladies and gentlemen, get back to work or I'll report to Hawkeye that you're bothering me and him and she might kill you all with her guns"

When he mentioned Hawkeye, they cannot say anything more and in three seconds they all directly went towards the exit.

"...Daddy Roy!"

Everyone turned around, and looked at Lil' Ed saying "Aww..." and "You're so sweet..." but replied with another jawdrop and cold shock by Roy.

"Edward...Don't call me 'daddy Roy', can you just call me 'Roy' please?"

Edward went silent and looked at his obsidian eyes for a while, but then he smiled again and replied with an innocent "Daddy Roy"

"Not 'daddy Roy', 'Roy'!"

"Daddy Roy!"

"Roy!"

"Daddy Roy!"

"ROY!"

"Daddy Roy!"

"I SAID, DON'T CALL ME DADDY!"

"Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh..."

Everyone sighed, covered their ears, and Maes started to lecture Roy, "For goodness sakes, Roy Mustang! You don't have to be so hard on him! Does it matter if he calls you 'Daddy'? You are his dad after all!"

"Maes, first of all, I am not his dad and I didn't even adopt him from the start! I only rescued him! And I'm still too goddamn young to be called like that!"

"It doesn't matter how old you are, but what he knows now is that you're his dad, and he tried to show that he loves you by calling you 'daddy'! You're the one who decided to rescue him; you're the one who decided to take care of him! He heard that well back in the lab and he thanked you for that! Even though he can't speak properly now, but he understands what we're saying! If you didn't care since the start, why bother breaking into the lab having arguments with the Fuhrer that might get you demoted and until now being with him?"

He couldn't say anything else. His best friend here does have some fatherly nature. Why did Maes let him take care of Edward and he could've adopted this Lil' guy forever and please Gracia with a son? But, it doesn't matter now. What matters now is to calm Ed down and finish all the paperwork before Hawkeye is back and if she receives unsigned papers she'll gladly pull her trigger and drag him to his Excellency's office.

"Alright, alright, Edward...I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! You can call me with anything you want, okay?"

Edward stopped screaming now, at least. But tears were still rolling down from his golden eyes and people were staring at him as if he's a heartless man or some sort because he won't even let a little kid calling him "Daddy" or consider him as a father. Cold sweat rolling down his body, and guilty feelings were stabbing his heart. He didn't know anything about children after all. He should've followed Maes's path, start reading books about children and stuff that he mentioned for "future savings" and he didn't know that future came this fast. He looked sharply straight towards Maes's eyes and asked sternly.

"Okay Maes, according to all child-care books of yours, what should I do...NOW?"

"Cheer him up, show him that you love him"

"Exactly, how?"

"You said it's his nap time, right? Put him to sleep. Rock him up or sing him lullabies"

"Geez, this is military headquarters, not a day-care! How the hell can I sing lullabies in here?"

"Then rock him until he sleeps. Oh, I must leave now... Gotta do my work. Have to save up for my wedding expenses, you know! Seeya!"

As Maes walked away, he waved to them and closed the door. Roy started to rock the little blonde around, going back and forth. Lil' Ed started to yawn, and a smile started to rise on his lips. Humming Brahms's cradle song, he keeps rocking him until the golden pair of eyes finally shuts down. He tiptoed to his desk and pulled a teddy-pattern blanket from the bag. After finally putting Ed slowly on the couch, he covered his body with the blanket, trying to make him feel comfy so he'll sleep longer. As he pats his little back, the peaceful sleeping face of the innocent boy makes him yawn and a thought came up on his mind.

_Ten minutes before lunch break, and there's only thirty more papers to be signed. Hawkeye won't be back at least until the end of lunch break, and nobody will bother me or him because they'll go to the cafeteria instead and if they didn't see me there they'll thought I was watching over this little guy. So why not taking a nap with him?_

He grabbed an old pillow that he kept for secret naps from the cupboard, cleaned the dusts and put it on the edge of the couch. He unbuttoned his uniform and threw it to his desk. As he lie himself on the couch, he tried to make himself comfy while guarding Ed so he won't fell down or got awake. Finally, he felt comfy enough with his position and closed his eyes. It wasn't long until he went into deep sleep. To him, Edward's snore sounds like lullabies.

Time goes by and without he realized, it was passed lunchtime and Hawkeye and Rebecca are back. They were surprised seeing everyone gathering near the couch at her superior's office. As they shoved into the crowd, they pushed some people aside to get through until they saw a perfect living masterpiece of Lieutenant Colonel Mustang and Edward sleeping together on the couch. He was hugging Ed like a teddy bear. They both couldn't help but giggle with the others, seeing the Ishbal war hero sleeping like a little boy.

"Okay guys, back to work. Let's not try to wake them up" She said, as she clapped her hands and ordered everyone to move back to their own desks. Rebecca was being confused seeing her friend treated him differently.

"You sure you won't wake him up? I still see some piles of paperwork on his desk"

"It's okay. I'm sure he won't mind doing overtime today. Besides, who wanted to wake him up before we get Hughes to take a picture of them?"

"You're right!"

The two girls then went out to get Hughes and his famous photography skills.


	6. Chapter 6

TWO YEARS LATER

"..."

It's Saturday, 6:30 AM and Roy was awaken by a natural alarm clock named Edward. He was screaming on the top of his lungs until Roy barged into the room and as he entered the room, a familiar scent went right into his nose.

"Edward...don't tell me that..."

He walked straight towards the bed, surprising the little boy who was sobbing on top. Just as he thought,

"You wet your bed again..."

Roy sighed. Scared, Edward looked into his obsidian eyes, which looked unhappy.

"So..soiee..."

He understands that Lil' Ed was trying to say 'sorry'. Two years he stayed at his apartment and Roy learned a new language - _babynese_. Sighing deeply trying not to burst out mad at him, he scratched his head and pull a yawn for the early wake-up call.

"Okay, okay. Just go to the bathroom and change your pants, I'll clean this mess up"

As he pulled the wet sheets off the mattress, Ed went to the bathroom like he was told to with a guilty feeling stuck in his chest.

"Children, children, what is it with them and wetting their beds?" Roy moaned, as he put the wet sheets into an empty bucket and dragged it out.

"I swear, Maes! Are you sure that chapter didn't exist in all of your childcare guidebooks?"

"Nope, zilch. I think we gotta figure this out by ourselves. Are you sure you already took him to the bathroom before he sleeps?"

"Yes, I did that and after that he went straight to bed! Maes, this seemed impossible! No, I can't put the diapers back...he is almost three years old now and my mom complains that when I was his age I didn't use it anymore!"

Roy was calling Maes asking what should he do with Edward's bedwetting habit. It was the fifth time the little boy wet his bed this week and the laundry fees are starting to eat his monthly bar budget while Edward was having his breakfast; french toast and a glass of milk.

"Aaamm feeneeshhdd"

"Hold on, Maes"

He put the phone lower and peeked towards the dining table, inspecting Edward's breakfast, "Good boy, you've finished all your french toast! Now drink your milk. Okay where was I Maes?"

Before he could hear Maes speaking out a clear sentence, Edward replied back with a gibberish scream

"Aaaa wooont dleeenk meeeeelk!"

Putting the phone lower again, he pointed to Edward and replied back, "No, Edward. You gotta drink your milk or you gonna stay as a Lil' stunted shrimp. Got that? Oh sorry Maes I didn't catch your words. Yeah Edward won't drink his milk again I wonder what did he drink back when he was a baby?"

"Am not a leedle aanted shreeemp!"

"Well if you don't wanna be a shrimp, drink your milk"

Edward started to bang on the dining table and shout louder, "Not wanna dleenk meelk! Not wanna dleenk meelk!"

"Edward, be quiet! I'm talking on the phone and I can't hear what Maes said because of all the racket!" It was a useless attempt. Edward didn't listen and gets noisier.

"Maes, can you just call me back later? Yeah, seeya"

He hung up the phone and went straight to him, "Edward, now be a good boy and drink your milk."

Roy grabbed the glass of milk and shoved it to Edward's lips, but he shook his head and leaned backwards until he buried himself down the chair.

"Okay, why did you hate milk?"

"Aaa not wanna dleenk cow's piss!"

"Edward, that is a ridiculous answer! Drink your milk, now!"

"NO!"

"Okay, that is rude. You cannot shout like that to me!"

He pouted, jumped from the chair and ran away.

"EDWARD! COME BACK HERE AND DRINK YOUR MILK!"

After five minutes of hectic cat-and-mouse game, Edward was caught the once clean and cozy apartment of Roy Mustang turned into a total mess. Trying to breathe normally again, Roy stood up and dragged the squirming little boy back to the dining table. He put him back on the chair and as he sighed deeply trying to be patient, he shoved the glass of milk to him.

"Okay shortie, drink your milk"

Swelling his cheeks even bigger, he purposely hit the glass down and the milk spilled all over the table. Roy was about to forgive him and grab the cloth to clean the table until he saw what the milk had soaked at the edge of the dining table.

"OH MY GOD!" He rushed to the edge of the table to confirm his eyes and his memory and yes, he was right. The milk had soaked all the important papers that he worked over the week and had to be submitted to the Fuhrer tomorrow morning. He tried to dry the papers up with his alchemy, but all the words have been blurred and washed away with the milk.

"EDWARD, THAT'S ENOUGH OF YOUR MISCHIEF! YOU'VE RUINED MY JOB! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE AND I DON'T WANNA SEE YOUR FACE EVER AGAIN!"

Without even paying attention to Edward, he went straight to his study and slammed the door.

After writing the last sentence of the chapter that he's currently working on, he realized that the room was turning dark. He peeked to the window and saw the sun was down already "God, I was working the whole day! What time is it?" he said to himself, as he stood up from his desk, turned on the lights and looked at the clock

6:30 PM

"Oh no! I must prepare dinner! Lil' Ed must be starving!" he said to himself, as he turned the lights off and went out of the study. "Edward! You must be hungry, right? I'm gonna cook dinner soon! What do you want?"

No replies. That's weird, he thought. Edward usually replies back quickly when someone called him.

"Hey, Lil' Ed? You there, pal?"

Still no replies, and the house was pitch black and silent, just like back in the old days when he was alone. Roy sighed, and went around the house, turning on the lights, while looking for Edward.

"I'm sorry about what I said back in the morning...I'm not mad anymore! Come on, I'm going to cook your favorite stew for dinner!"

After twenty minutes of roaming around the house and still no Edward, he finally realized that the boy he was looking for wasn't there. He stood up from the couch and went to the doorstep, finding the door unlocked and Edward's shoes were gone. His eyes widened in fear.

Roy was about to go out and look for Ed when Maes suddenly appeared at the apartment corridor.

"Hey, Maes! Have you seen Ed?"

"Yeah, he's staying at my place with Gracia now. I'm here to get his clothes"

"Thank God! Maes, can you bring him home?"

"Roy, I'm here to get his clothes. He's staying with me"

"What? Why?"

"I heard it from Ed. He showed up at my doorstep this morning and he said that you've gone nuts after he spilled milk all over your papers"

"I know, I was being overboard...now I feel so guilty about it"

"He's still scared to go home. Look, why don't you just have some self-reflection while fixing your papers and let him calm down, I'll bring him back to you on Monday. Gracia and I will take care of him this weekend. How's that?"

Roy shrugs, "If that doesn't bother you guys…"

"No, we don't mind at all! Gracia is really fond to that boy...If he's a grown-up guy I'll sue him already for taking my girl's heart!"

"Well, okay then. Wait here, I'll get his clothes"

Roy then went back in and back three minutes later with Edward's bag. He gave the bag to his best friend and said goodbye. As he went back to the kitchen and opened the cupboard to find something to eat, a guilty feeling fills in his chest. But it'll be okay, he thought. Edward is staying with Maes until Monday and that is a wise decision. He had to focus on his papers or he'll lose his job.

_It's such a quiet night without him...Usually this hour I'd be staying at his room tucking him to bed. I kinda miss him...but come on, Roy! Ed is staying with your childcare guru! And you gotta focus on your papers!_

_Yes, everything will be alright. _

Or maybe not...

THE NEXT DAY

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Edward was chasing a butterfly, cheering happily while running around left and right, trying to get the butterfly with his bare hands even though he knew it was a useless attempt. He was having a picnic with Maes and Gracia today at the park.

"Don't go too far, Lil' Ed!" Maes called up from the side of the lake, as he spread the mat over the grass. Gracia then opened the basket and bring the sandwiches out when suddenly Ed came to her with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, Edward! You surprised me! Are you hungry? Do you want sandwiches, dear?"

Without saying anything, he pulled out a coronet made of flower from his back and put it on top of her head carefully.

"It's...It's beautiful! Did you made this...for me? Thank you, Edward!"

Gracia gave him a hug, and Maes started get jealous over him. But, Maes do admit that Gracia looks beautiful with the coronet. Gracia then decided that it's time to open the picnic basket and eat their sandwiches.

"Edward, are you happy now?" Gracia asked. He nodded; still munching his sandwich and Maes was wiping his cheek full of mayonnaise with a piece of handkerchief.

"Daddee Roy nevel took me on a picnic befole! He ooays gone with gilfliends ol do papelwolks ol Riza will shoot on him! I ooays wanna go ol play togethel wif him...but am fleid that he'll be mad...an now daddee Roy hates me fol not dleenk meelk and luin his papel..."

His sentence is still a bit incomplete and the words are not spoken out correctly which is common for a boy his age, but it is clear enough that he feels lonely and unloved by Roy, which is false because Maes knew how much Roy loves him but the stubbornness and ego of his best friend makes Ed feels like that.

"Do you love Roy, Lil' Ed?" Maes asked

"Yes! I love daddee Roy! But..."

"But what?"

"Aaa theenk Uncle Maes and Auntie Gracia shood be maa mommie and daddee!" he said, pointing to both of them.

Maes pats his golden hair and praise him for being such a cute angel to them, and convinced him that Roy loves him so much. Gracia gave the little golden-haired angel a gentle kiss on his cheek and Maes demands a passionate kiss to his girlfriend. She did, and Ed was told to cover his eyes before so he won't see images that are too mature for his age and tell his daddy what he saw later when he's home.

"Auntie Gracia, can I have a dleenk, please?" Ed asked, after playing catch with Maes for hours and now being exhausted, lying on her laps.

"Sure you can! Wait... oh no, Maes! We're out of drinks!" Gracia said, when she opened the big bottle and found out that it was empty.

"I'll go buy some," Maes said, as he stood up and went out of the park gate, half-running, leaving Ed and Gracia who were playing Mary Mack.

_He is gone..._

_Now it's time..._


	7. Chapter 7

Meanwhile at the HQ, Roy was sulking on his desk with a pile of paperwork that needed to be signed…as always.

"Sir, please start signing the papers or you'll have to spend your Saturday night working overtime. I believe you have a date tonight, don't you?" Hawkeye asked, as she brought another stack of documents that needed to be signed.

"No, Hawkeye. I don't have any dates tonight. Ed is also gone with Maes and Gracia until Monday. I'm all alone tonight"

That's weird, she thought. He must've gone to a date or two every Saturday night. What on Earth had happened? Or probably he was trying to get some sleep since he told her last night he was pulling an all-nighter fixing his papers that were destroyed by Ed.

"Hey, Hawkeye...Do you have any plans tonight?"

Her heart beats harder when she heard her superior's question.

"N-no sir...I don't"

"Mind if you keep me company tonight?"

_Is he asking me for a date?"_

"But you still got all these paperwork to be signed, sir"

"I promise I'll have all of them done by the end of the office hours as long as you promised me to keep me company tonight. How's that?"

She thought for a while, and then nodded shyly while trying to hide a blush on her face.

"YES! All right, so it's a date! Bring all the papers in, Hawkeye!" he said, as he spun his chair and grabbed the pen, and started to work in his emergency I–need–to–go–for–a–date–after–work–so–I'll–have–to–work–fast mode. She just sighed seeing her superior's act. Anything to motivate the lieutenant colonel, she thought.

Time goes by quicker than they thought. It's Saturday and they're working half-day only. By the time they're allowed to leave, all the paperwork were done and Roy was half-fainting on his desk, exhausted of working in his emergency mode the whole day. Not letting a date to wait is his number one rule. A few minutes later at the HQ gate, Hawkeye was there already.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir. I'm ready"

He leaned down, grabbed her right hand and kissed her palm, making her blush and the people passing by giggle.

"S-sir?"

"Not 'sir', Riza. We're off duty and we're on a date. Put the formalities aside. And relax, we're not going together for work – we're having fun"

"Yes, uh... Roy" she said, blushing.

As they walked through the store-lined streets, Roy feels that there is something odd with his alchemy teacher's daughter.

"What is it Riza? You seem uncomfortable"

"N-no... It's just..."

"Are you mind having a date with someone five years older than you?"

"No... I never went out with a guy... like now..."

"Well, it's okay. You're seventeen, I'm twenty-two. Life's just started for both of us. To tell the truth, even though I'm out with so many ladies until now, I never kissed any girl in my whole life...The rumor about me sleeping with different ladies every single week is just a rumor. How can I do that every time I remember there's a little kid waiting for me back home?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. So no worries, ok? Oh wait, I'm kind of hungry...it's 12:30 and I haven't eat since morning...I'm not really in the mood to cook since there's no Lil' Ed at home. Somehow that little greedy shrimp is motivating and inspiring me in the kitchen. How about if we find something to eat, huh?"

"Sure, uh...Roy. I'm not mind"

Later on, he managed to take her to a restaurant and order some meal. Riza realized that her superior is more talkative than she ever thought, and he was a fun person to be with, not a stern one like she used to see back when he was still her father's apprentice.

The hours just passed by and they realized that the sun wasn't as bright as they last pay attention to it anymore. He looked at his watch and yes; it's 5:35 PM.

"It's getting late...how about if I walk you home, Riza?"

"It's okay, I can go home by myself"

"Oh come on, let me walk you home. Don't be shy"

"No... I'm okay. I..."

Before she can finish her sentence, she tripped over and fell right on his chest. His good reflex made him caught her in the right moment, and for a while, they let themselves both unmoved under the sun that was getting orange. Roy moved himself a little forward, making them closer to each other.

"Riza..."

"Yes, Roy?"

"I...I have to admit it that you're not as scary as I used to think..."

"And I have to admit it that you're not as stern as I thought..."

"Riza...I..."

His obsidian eyes met her orange eyes, and as he leaned down, their lips were getting closer and closer, both hold their breaths, feeling their heartbeats and wondering if he or she will hear it too. It was slow, but steady. The blush on their cheeks were getting clearer by the time they started to feel each other's breath on their lips

_Just an inch closer...Just an inch closer..._

"THERE YOU ARE!"

Surprised, their reflexes made them push each other and turn their faces opposite ways, trying to hide the blush on their faces and gasping for air, for they feel that they've hold their breaths for quite a long time. Roy was reaching into his pocket and his pyromaniac personality was about to break free and turn whoever ruined his first kiss into beefsteak until he saw that it was Fuery. He took a few deep breaths and try not to let his alter ego lose control. Putting his gloves back into his pocket as deep as possible, he walked towards the sweat-drenched Fuery and tried to talk as calm as possible.

"SERGEANT FUERY... What happened that you came running to us outside office hours? I hope it's not about those goddamn paperwork."

Between his gasps, Fuery talked to his superior as steady as possible, and from the way he tried to talk, Roy knew that whatever Fuery tried to tell is an important one that he must know immediately.

"Edward...he..."

"What happened to him, Fuery? I thought he was okay with Hughes and his girlfriend?"

"He...was kidnapped..."

"HE WHAT?"

As they rushed to the hospital, Fuery explained the details of the case. Roy himself was trying to deal with this. He still can't believe his ears while keep listening to Fuery.

"Major Hughes is now at the hospital with Miss Gracia...They were at Madison Lake having a picnic and when Major Hughes went away to buy some drink, a man attacked Miss Gracia and took Edward away"

Minutes later, they're arrived at the military hospital where Gracia was taken and led by Fuery, they went into her room and saw her laid on the bed, with Hughes at her side holding her hands.

"Oh...there you are, Roy. Hello to you too, Riza" she said never thought that she was being hurt this bad over a boy. Hughes released his hands from Gracia and stood up.

"Roy...I'm sorry. I was just went out of the park for a while and when I came back, Gracia was...and Edward was..."

The last sentence was unclear and Maes took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, trying not to let his best friend see his eyes that were getting sore with tears.

"It's okay, Maes. It's not your fault. What's important now is how to get Edward back"

Roy hugged his best friend and dragged him out of the room. After a while, Maes put his glasses back and talked to him the rest of the details, trying to ignore the pain that he feel behind his throat.

"We...we got no clue at all right now. We were trying to question Gracia here but she was being too traumatized from the attack and there were no witnesses back then. There was no evidence or traces left on the crime scene, too..."

"It's okay... I won't force Gracia to say it right now... What we all know is that the culprit is a very dangerous man... He must've used a very dangerous weapon that could traumatize his victims"

Later on, Riza called them both back into the room. Roy helped Maes stood up, and he tried not to look sad in front of Gracia, despite of his swollen eyes that were hidden behind his glasses reflection.

"Alchemy..."

The two men who were discussing the case turned their head straight to Gracia when she mentioned the word 'alchemy'. In this kind of situation, they will hear whatever she said because it could be a clue.

"What is it, dear?" Maes asked, as he leaned down and hold her hands.

"Alchemy... The culprit was using Alchemy..."

Maes could feel that her hands were shaking. She was sweating a lot, and he could tell that she was really scared

"It's okay, Gracia. You don't have to push yourself to tell everything right now if you're not comfortable with it. We'll wait until you're ready" he said, as he grabbed his handkerchief and wiped her sweating forehead and kissed it gently.

"But...but Edward can't wait... What if the kidnapper harmed him...? I…I can't let that happen... He is such a nice boy... I can't imagine him being harmed like me..."

She's right, they thought. Edward can't wait. What if the kidnapper harmed him the same way he did to Gracia before they could find him? The boy's way smaller compared to her, and the damage could be more serious than what Gracia had suffered, probably to death. Of course, no matter how much he hated him for ruining his work, Roy won't let that happen. Roy won't let Ed got hurt. Whatever if it's for his position in the military or for whatever's sake… he didn't care anymore. He wanted the boy back to his hands for his own reasons.


	8. Chapter 8

Meanwhile, far away at the edge of Central City, there was a place where they gather undesirable trash from the city. They call it city slums, where the Ishbalans who lost their homeland at the civil war two years ago were staying too. The day just started, the sun was still far down at the east, people already started their daily activities. But not many people did so today, for they have a special little guest that were taken by one of their brothers.

"_Father, who is this boy?"_

"_I don't know, son. But he is not one of us"_

Edward was there, in a tent that was created out of leftover leathers, like how most tents created there. He turned his head left and right, finding red-eyed and tanned skin people talking in a language he never heard before.

"_Golden hair, white skin. He is an Amestrisian for sure!"_

"_Amestrisian? The people who destroyed our homeland?"_

"_This is insanity! Who brought this little pest here anyways? I am not willing to share any of my food with an Amestrisian, no matter if it's a little boy or not!"_

People looked disappointed. Some looked really angry. Edward, who can't understand a single word they say, just laid there on the very thin mattress, scared.

_Oh no, what should I do? What should I do? Are they gonna hurt me? Daddy Roy...please help me! _

"_SILENCE, EVERYONE!" _

A tall, scarred man suddenly appeared behind them. Edward's heart almost jumped out of his chest hearing his loud voice, even though he didn't understand the language. Tears started to come from the edge of his golden eyes until the man shoved a bowl of porridge to him. Feeling hungry and food appeared right in front of his eyes, he wiped his tears and grabbed the bowl. Ignoring how filthy the bowl looked and how bad people stared at him; he grabbed a spoon and started to eat the porridge fast.

"_Oh, so it was you who brought this son of devil here! What the hell are you thinking, huh?"_

"_It is none of your business. He is only one of my tools to get my revenge towards Amestrisians" _

"_So that means you're going to kill him! Then why did you feed him anyways?"_

"_An Amestrisian boy like him must've been fed plenty by his parents, just let him die starving!"_

"_We've been having enough problem serving adequate food to each of our people, why bother sharing him some?" _

The scarred man silenced them all once more.

"_He is the son of one of the state alchemists who destroyed our homeland. He is a valuable tool, a tool that is given by the God of Ishbala to me...so do not harm him"_

When he mentioned the almighty, everyone stepped out of the tent and do what they're supposed to do, working on their daily chores. Edward himself just finished eating and put the bowl next to his worn-out mattress.

"Hey ooo mistel scarred man, whele is dis?" Edward started to ask. The scarred looked up towards him, looking at his golden eyes for a while before he answered Ed's question in the language that Ed understands

"The city slums, kid. Where people threw leftovers and unneeded stuffs... Including useless humans"

"City slums? The place fal fal away flom centlal?"

"Yes, a place far, far, away from Central. Look kid, I need you to..."

"AAAAAAAAAA WANT CHOCO PUDDING!" Ed screamed to the scarred Ishbalan man right in front of his ears.

"CHOCO PUDDING! CHOCO PUDDING! AAA WANT CHOCO PUDDING!"

Ed was rolling on the mattress, kicking things here and there in the small tent and his voice was so loud that everyone thought that he was being tortured because he was screaming in the language that they call "Sinner's Language"

"_QUIET!"_

An Ishbalan woman suddenly appeared, and before they could move another muscle, she threw a knife on him and luckily it didn't hit him. Tears started to roll down from the edge of his eyes, cold sweat coming out of his skin, along with the blood from the small cut on his face. She was breathing heavily, and started to blame the scarred man. As he watched them both arguing in Ishbalan language, he shoved his body backwards towards the edge of the tent, flapped the tent open and ran as fast as he could.

_Where...Where should I go? Out...I have to get out of here!_

The weather was pretty hot that day, and as he ran across the city slums, he realized that he was barefoot. The heat from the ground felt painful and burning his foots, not mentioning the debris, rocks and dirt here and there on the street that stabbed his skin. Ignoring people that were staring him, he kept trying to move his legs as fast as possible, despite of his lungs that were getting out of breaths.

The child saw a hope when the lines of tents ended and feel the bricked footpath of central once more.

_YES! I'M FREE! I'M FREE! _

Not far from there, he saw a man with a similar uniform as someone he knows as his father. His eyes started to shine, and somehow he knew that if he went to the person and ask for help, he will be saved.

_Just a little more...one more step and I can ask that military man to get me back to daddy Roy! _

But his little lungs inside his little body can't take it anymore. He realized that his body was drowned with sweat all over, and there was a funny little ball behind his throat. His hips were getting hard to move. His head is dizzy and sometimes his eyes went blank.

_What...what's wrong with me? Oh no...please...just...one more step...one more step..._

WHAM

_Oh no...I fell..._

_It doesn't hurt... I just need to stand up again..._

_But...why does my body won't obey?_

_Why...why everything is moving?_

_No! I must go forward! Just one more step!_

_On e . . . m o r e . . . _

_S t e p !_

_. . ._


	9. Chapter 9

Edward found himself inside a wooden crate, his wrists and legs tied together with a rusted metal chain, his mouth covered with a cloth. From the bumps and the familiar clop-clop voice of horseshoes stepping on the ground, he knew that he's on a cart. He loved long journeys riding carts, like the ones he got into on a trip to Roy's hometown in West Central. Except now he didn't know where he's going or with who. There's no other clue except what he can see from the hollow parts of the crate. He tried to shift himself closer to the nearest hole, where he could only see people passing by. The cart was moving fast and before he could recognize things that he saw from the little hole, it disappeared quickly. He tried another way, by listening to the voices.

_The sounds of the crowd seemed to be from the market...Wait! I can understand what they're all saying...so...I'm back in Central! No...maybe somewhere in Amestris. But...hey, I recognize that giant fish sign that's just passed by! Daddy Roy took me there every Wednesday when we're buying groceries! So that means I'm really back in Central!_

His lungs that were filled with a fragrant of fear and worries can now breathe a little comfier, now that he know that he's in Central. But it didn't last for long, as the cart stopped and his head bumped the wood crate. His small growl then followed with a heavy falling boots on the ground outside, then the unpleasant tap-tap voice that were getting closer. Just as he thought, it's the man; Ed recognized it from the clothes. He tried to keep calm, but can't help shrieking when hearing the scaring sound that came out when the man started to break the crate with a metal shaft. After some loud crack-crack voice of breaking woods, Ed finally saw the top lid removed and before he could stare at the scarred man's reddish eyes, he was lifted up and the man carefully put him on his shoulders. It was a little uncomfortable because his stomach was pressed to the scarred man's shoulder bones, but it's better than being inside the crate, he thought. As the scarred man started to walk, Ed tried to remember which part of Central is he and this man located now. He quickly browsed through his memory and remembered instantly. Before he could put up a question to the scarred man, his mouth was forced to open wide by the man that he wanted to ask and felt that something small and bitter is put inside his mouth. From his face, the scarred man didn't look that he's going to give him some water so he just swallowed it to reduce the bitterness. But it was a big mistake, he soon feel the same thing that he felt back when he was running away from the city slums and fell on the floor again.

_Where is he taking me...?_

Meanwhile, back in the HQ, Roy was sulking alone, with a mountain-pile of paperwork sitting on top of his desk. He didn't feel like doing it at all. Maes's at the hospital with Gracia, Riza is gone to Dublith with Rebecca again to deliver some paperwork, and Edward...kidnapped and no traces at all. The top brass called the investigation teams for Edward's case to back off and leave it all to the police. They said that it's not worth it to put out a battalion of skilled soldiers to search for a piece of worthless junk, no matter if it's a son of the lieutenant colonel.

_Piece of worthless junk, huh? Then what are you and your wives doing telling the enlisted troops to look for your lost poodles round Central? Does my son worth less than your fancy dogs? _

Roy knew it, they're just jealous because their wives bragged their dinners with him at parties instead of bragging their dinners with them; they're just jealous because he rise through the ranks very fast in such a young age; they're just jealous because Edward's first sentence "Aaa love yooouu" are more attractive to the subordinates than their heroic stories in the war to the ladies. And he also knew, if he just leave it to the police, it could take months to investigate and Edward can't wait that long, not even a second extra.

After forcing himself to read through the last letter on the paper, he grabbed his pen, and started to move the pen quickly to sign it but the result was blank. Just as he thought; his pen had run out of ink. He knocked it down his desk, let out a deep sigh and jerked the desk shelf open to grab the bottle of ink, only to find it was empty. He slapped the edge of the shelf to shut it back, grabbed his coat and left the office.

It was dark already. It's been the third day since Edward is missing. Posters of the little blonde's sketch made by Armstrong with the capital words MISSING: EDWARD E. MUSTANG. REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO MILITARY HEADQUARTERS IF SEEN on the bottom of the papers were seen here and there. Roy tried to look straight to the road and trying to avoid the edge of his sharp eyes catching the detailed sketch on the posters. But, the further he walked, the posters seemed to be staring at him more and more. He felt that he's hopeless and his head in a full mess. Headaches coming and he can't seem to think anymore.

In times like these, bars are the best places for men.

THUD!

It's the third time he banged the scotch of vodka on the table, the fifth bottle to be exact. His hands tapping on the wooden table, making a soft tap-tap voice, while his lips mumbling swearwords every second when it's not filled with more vodka.

_CRUD! WHY do I feel miserable for that little shrimp and now he's missing? I should've been grateful for that, right? No more spending bar fees for washing pee-soaked sheets, no more cooking dinners for two, no more extra expenses for toys, no more waiting for babysitters before dates, no more pathetic goodnight kisses, no more midnight lullabies! _

_Shouldn't I be happy? SHOULDN'T I?_

_Why do I decide to take that little bug with me? _

_I knew I couldn't be a 'daddy' like what he thought I am_

_I am a miserable father...I was the one who kicked him out of the house! If I didn't force him to drink milk...If my stubborn tongue was controllable back then..._

_This wouldn't happen_

_Edward wouldn't ran away_

_Gracia wouldn't be hurt_

_Everyone wouldn't be sad. _

_IT'S MY FAULT! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!_

In times when a man screwed up, he'll listen more to his stubborn soul rather than his smart brain.

Feeling that the taste of vodka has faded from his tongue, he snatched another bottle and drink it straight, not bothering to pour it to his scotch anymore or ask the bartender to do so, ignoring the stares and whispers from other customers from every corner of the bar across the room.

"Tch. Some high-ranked military dog being drunk like a bitch"

"What does the higher-ups 'ere thinkin'? Lettin' some meddlin' kid like him bein' a hero?"

"Wonder what'll this country be if all of our leader's being like that. God bless the military for not making him a Fuhrer!"

THUD!

Fourth time, sixth bottle. The whole bar was silenced by the bang on the table. Roy suddenly stood up from his chair and came up to the group of men playing poker at the corner. They were surprised, seeing the flame alchemist that they talked about now stood before their eyes.

"You...you guys...You're all saying that I'm just a worthless meddling kid being drunk, right?"

They all resisted the eye contact instantly, looking down the wooden floor, feeling nothing but fear and uncomforting feelings in their chest. Who wouldn't feel so if it's a high-ranked military guy who confronted them?

"You," Roy said, breaking the silence in the bar, pointing straight to a man smoking cigars.

"Y-yes?"

"You got any kids?"

"Y-yes...two daughters, sir"

"Then you'll know how I feel. My son was kidnapped and I don't have any clues and the military's forcing me to work"

They all surprised, and felt more embarrassed for making stupid conclusions when they saw him drinking recklessly. It is now clear that his face and eyes were red. His body shaking and somehow became unsteady but still trying to stand straight.

"Pathetic military dog"

They all surprised and thought "Who the hell was saying that in this kind of situation?" Roy, on the other hand, opened his eyes wide and it only takes three seconds to finally make him lose control

"SO WHAT IF I AM PATHETIC, HUH? NO MATTER IF YOU CALL ME A DOG OF THE MILITARY, WE ARE ACTUALLY HUMAN! WE CAN FEEL SAD AND CRY AND WORRY ABOUT OUR CHILDREN TOO! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? WHY WOULDN'T ANYONE UNDERSTAND THAT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH? WHY? WHY?"

He was screaming pathetically in the middle of the bar, flipping the poker table down and fighting with gamblers until Havoc and Breda, who was coincidentally there, stopped him and dragged him out of the bar. They all knew it: he's drunk and pathetic. Pathetic over his kidnapped son.

Later on outside in the middle of Central City, two military men were dragging their drunk superior to his home. The dragged lieutenant colonel was sobbing between his subordinates' shoulders, howling for his son, singing his self-composed lullabies that they never heard before. People can't help but stare, and the two men were feeling embarrassed but sorry for him at the same time. They never seen him being pathetic like this

"Geez, sir! How many bottles did you drink?"

"Five or six, I think. He's not the type who goes like this only with three or four"

As he looked up to the full moon, he realized that his cheeks were drowned with tears, his pale skin turned to red, mouth howling his son's name, followed with barking dogs and meowing alley cats at the side of the street. Fourth Avenue apartment seemed to be twice farther for the two people.

"GOD! HE REALLY OWE US A LOT FOR SURE! I KNEW WE SHOULD'VE LEFT HIM IN THE BAR! DOES BEING DRUNK MAKE YOU GROW? HE WEIGHS LIKE A TON OR TWO AND I'M SO GODDAMN TIRED!"

"Havoc, if you still got power to scream, use it to walk. The faster we reach his apartment, the faster we get our massage at the Fourth Avenue 24-hour spa"

Roy didn't pay attention to what all his subordinates' saying. His head is now filled with memories of Edward scattered in every corner of his heart. When they finally reach his apartment, his subordinates dragged him into his bedroom and told the landlady to lock his door for him, because they're pretty sure that after they left Roy won't even bother to change clothes or lock the door. Like they all thought, he did. He just lied on his bed, looking towards the moon, tears flowing like a river, head still bugged by a little golden-haired devil with a mischievous smile and a big pair of golden eyes.

_Edward... Where are you know, Lil' shrimp?_

_I missed you sleeping on my laps when I have a stack of paperwork on my desk..._

_I missed you bothering me in my sleeps in the middle of the night because of your stupid nightmares..._

_I missed you running around messing my house in the morning for not drinking milk..._

_I'm sorry, Edward. Please come back home. Please…_


	10. Chapter 10

"Sir, please start working on those papers if you don't want to create another Mount Everest out stacks of undone documents in the office" Riza said, stern as usual, as she stacked another pile of papers on top of the old one that was lying on his desk since yesterday. But that entire attempt was only replied with a sigh or a moan by the lieutenant colonel that was lying back on his chair, and an ice bag on top of his head.

"Hey, lieutenant Hawkeye! Lieutenant Breda and I brought you some new documents from New Optain! General Hakuro said that they all due next week!" Havoc said, as he went in and brought a cardboard box filled with folders and notes.

"Oh…Thanks, Lieutenant Havoc. Please put them somewhere in this room. Right! Paperwork… just what lieutenant colonel Mustang and I really need at the moment!" she said, adding a funny intonation at the last sentence as she walked towards him just to change his ice bag. After Havoc and Breda brought all the boxes in, they found their poor old superior still no different than yesterday except that he's not drunk and crying anymore.

"Don't worry, poor daddy Roy! I'm sure Ed will be back in your arms back soon." Havoc said, as he gave two taps to his superior's back, only to get screamed on his ears.

"WHAAAT? ED? WHO WANTS THAT PEST BACK ANYWAYS? THAT BRAT ALMOST RUINED MY WORK AND MADE ME WORK HARDER TWICE ON MY WEEKEND AND IT'S ALSO HIS FAULT THAT I'M DRUNK LAST NIGHT!"

"Wow, talk about personality overhaul" Breda commented

"Ever heard of the statement that when you're drunk you're being honest?" Havoc whispered

Riza just sighed and dragged the two out of the office.

"Havoc, Breda, I know you guys know what happened last night to him. Tell me"

Of course they won't tell if she didn't said that with the stare that says 'I-am-going-to-get-my-gun-if-you-don't-tell-me' The boys still want survive until they at least can see her marry Mustang so they can't help but tell about what makes them lose their dates with the bar girls last night and ended up going to work with a pain on their necks because the 24-hour spa was closed due to renovation.

"Okay, that explains his headache and the funny crack that you both made every time you turned your heads. I'm truly sorry that my father's apprentice had bothered you. I'll remind him that he owe you guys lots"

"It's okay, Hawkeye. He's having a great headache and we all know how stubborn he is. He just won't admit how much he loves Ed…MMPH!"

"Ssh, Havoc! Did you hear that?" Hawkeye said, with her left hand covering her subordinate's mouth and the other on her right ear, implying that she's trying to hear something.

"Heww Fwat?"

…_Help me! Help me!…_

"Ed?"

All eyes in the room directly turned to the Lieutenant Colonel, now sitting straight and the ice bag slid down to his laps. Looking at his face, they didn't doubt anymore that the one whose just been speaking was him. But before they could move another muscle their ears had already caught loud voices of footsteps echoing down the corridor, along with the voices of people who seemed to be talking about something unpleasant.

"SIR!" Falman barged in, snapping them off their focuses on their hearings and now back on their normal mode looking at him who looked as if he just ran some hundred miles away.

"Warrant officer Falman? What's with all the noises?"

"EMERGENCY SITUATION, SIR!"

As Roy Mustang stepped out of the HQ building, he found a figure of a man with a big scar on his face, holding a golden haired boy in his arms.

"EDWARD!"

Just when he's about to step out, the scarred man stopped him with his voice

"One false move and this poor soul is dead"

The deep, rough, yet calm voice froze everyone. This man is not your everyday kidnapper, Roy thought. He tried to calm down, as he reached into his pocket for his trusty old fellow, ignition gloves. But his thoughts drive him into a part of his memories. A voice echoes in his mind.

"…_Alchemy…The culprit was using alchemy…"_

Too late. Major Armstrong already made a move. His big fists almost landed on the scarred man's head, only to have one of them caught. As Armstrong tried to release away, a red light appeared from the man's tattooed arm. Before everyone could digest everything that was going on, an explosion occurred, shattering the metal knuckle bars into pieces, and the Major was pinned against the wall. The enlisted troops slightly moved backwards, making a larger distance between them and the man.

SNAP!

A spark of fire appeared out of nowhere, right in front of his eyes. The scarred man fell, bumping onto Ed's small body. The broken shades shatter into pieces, some stuck on his forehead. As blood started to flow out of the cuts on the tanned skin, he opened his eyes.

"An Ishbalan!"

A soldier cried, and they all reacted in unison, but producing different voices. The troops moved closer, but they all have to shove away, as the flame alchemist stepped down the grand marble stairs to the ground of dirt, followed by his loyal companions. The breeze was getting harder all of a sudden, chilling their bones. But Mustang didn't show any fear at all. He kept walking closer and closer towards the man that they all feared, making them all hold their breaths. They who hated him for stealing their girlfriends now respect him with all of their souls. The Ishbal war hero is a real hero, now that they've seen his true charisma.

"Flame Alchemist…Roy Mustang"

"What do you want here?"

"I want to get my revenge for all those Ishbalans you killed"

"That is nothing to do with that boy. He is innocent"

The sky is getting darker, as if the sun feared the scarred man too. The breeze is getting harder. But none of them leave.

"Why did you keep silent, tell me! What is the relation between getting your revenge and kidnapping that boy?"

"He is just a bait. Before I kill you, I wanted you to feel how it feels like when you lose somebody that means a lot to you, flame alchemist"

Mustang suddenly raised his hands and snapped his fingers.

The battle begins.

It goes unpredictable. They're both like waves on the sea, going up and down, moving backward and forward, attacking with their alchemy _fortes_. Fire and transmutation reactions spark around them. Roy himself is putting himself a bit slower, as he is trying not to hurt Ed too.

"Just give it up, flame alchemist" the Ishbalan said, as he sparked his arm and tried to grab the military man's head. But he shoved quickly. He is getting tired himself, his headaches were flowing back again and he just wanted to end this quick.

"You give it up! For your information, that boy means nothing to me except that he is my golden ticket to rise up the ranks! He's just an assignment that the Fuhrer gave to me, my guinea pig! My research object! Hah, if you thought that I'm going to play soft because of that sassy goldilocks boy, then you're wrong!"

Most of them now lose some of their respects to the lieutenant colonel. They all agreed that those words are too over to be used to a little kid like Ed, if he does understand or hear them…Except his close subordinates of course, they knew he's just too stubborn, even in front of a kidnapper. Meanwhile, some are starting to question about Ed. He is almost like dead, seeing him just clutching on his kidnapper's shoulders. But he is awake, right after that sentence, the boy opened his eyes, as if a jolt of thunder had sparked him on. He looked up and shocked them all. When his golden eyes met his obsidian eyes, the flame alchemist stopped his moves.

"…Ed?"

WHACK!

The reddish eyes met the obsidian eyes. A tanned tattooed arm holding his chest. The golden haired boy is not clutching on the Ishbalan man anymore. But why can't Roy Mustang make a move?

_This is the perfect time to bash up that guy. Oh, that's right… he's breaking your bones, almost breaking your neck and your shoulders and that hurts so much that you cannot move! Idiot, maybe that blood loss due to that rock that hit your head when you fell on the ground makes you having some short-term memory loss._..


	11. Chapter 11

"Flame Alchemist,"

He snapped out of his mind when hearing that deep chilling eastern accent again. _I got a baaaaaaaaad feeling about this_, he thought.

"I will give you time to pray to God"

"Alchemists do not believe such things as God."

Rain started to drop, and it did not take long before it got harder. The wind made everyone's sights blurred up. Still, over the breeze, the flame alchemist could hear his subordinates screaming for his name.

_Great, of all times, why should I die in such a useless state?_

BUMP!

_What the…? What is this heavy and sloppy thing on my chest? _

"Leeve daddee Roy alone yew blute!"

_EDWARD?_

He tilted his head, and saw a familiar form that he missed all along – it _is_ Ed!

"Hey you – whoever you are, Ishbal guy! Don't hurt this kid! Fine, you can kill me, but leave this kid alone!"

"I won't hurt this kid. Now step aside, boy!"

"Aaa wont!"

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The loud cracking voice in the air startles everyone

"Gunshots"

"Could it be that scarred man?"

"No! He doesn't have a gun! If he does have, he would've used it all along!"

"So it must be one of us, but who would shoot in such weather? I mean who _can_ shoot in such weather?"

The men started to stare at each other, then they all blurted out in unison;

"Hawkeye"

"Not me, gentlemen"

They all stared back to the woman they just stated, and she was not holding any weapons.

"I left all my weapons in the office when I was cleaning them"

They all stared each other again.

"Then who?"

As if nature wants to help answering the soaked up soldiers, the rain started to ease, letting them to see and hear better. But it was worse, because now, the scarred man was gone. They only hear a child crying helplessly…

And a blood-drenched soldier.

"ROY!"

Riza ran straight towards the lieutenant colonel, only to see that two out of three bullets whoever had shoot out awhile ago had made it through his stomach and his back. He was holding Ed in his arms, as if he was trying to protect him from the bullets.

"Roy, are you okay?"

"I…I'm fine. I just don't know what made me got up on the last minute…probably miracle"

"SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

Right after someone shouted that out, roars of panic broke out. But, between the crowded voices and footsteps of soldiers here and there, he still heard a soft whisper in his arms.

"…Soiee…"

The loss of blood made Roy fell on the ground. But that didn't made him lose his conciousness yet. He then reaches out his rough soldier hands to the soft cheeks of Ed. His hands is now wet and dirty with tears and blood, but he didn't care. He just didn't want to see him crying right now. Even though it hurts, he tried his best to smile to the little innocent boy.

"Why? It's not your fault…Daddy Roy here is gonna be alright"

The last thing that he remembered was an innocent smile, and as his hands fell away from the little boy's cheeks, soldiers lifted him up on a stretcher and took him away. Then, he sees that the rain had stopped, the shining sun, the mild air after the rain…

And everything went black.

Far, far away from the crowd of Central city, in the deepest and darkest part where nobody would ever come. Everything was pitch black, water went drip-drop-drip-drop, and once or twice you will hear a little squeak-squeak from left and right…until you hear a loud splish-splosh from the corner of the place, along with a torch of fire and a figure of a long-haired guy.

"You're late, Envy." The water suddenly moved, making a form of a woman in black suit.

"Geez, you're not the one who's doing it"

"So how's it going?"

"Big failure. Although I've used the same gun and bullets, but Hawkeye has an alibi. She left her guns at the office back when I shoot Mustang and she got witnesses. Gosh, I just hope those bullets won't kill Mustang… yet."

"Okay, I'm going to inform it to Pride. See you soon"

Meanwhile, back at the upper world of Central…

_White_.

The first color that he sees as he opened his eyes.

_Where…Where is this? Where am I?_

He blinked his eyes a few times, as he put his mind trying to remember what happened the last time before he was here.

_Oh yeah…that Ishbalan man knocked me off. Ha ha…I must be dead and does this means that I'm in heaven? But wait…nowhere in the bible or whatever it is I used to read says that heaven smells like DISINFECTANT…_

He opened his eyes wide, and tilted his body straight. He looked in the room and there was nothing except a white bowl filled with water and towel on his right, and tall stick that hangs a tube filled with liquid which was delivered into his body through a long tube and a needle stuck on his wrist on his left.

_Idiot, I'm not dead of course! I'm in a hospital! _He said, as he sighed and slapped his forehead, only to fall back again with a pain on his head "OWW!"

He squirmed himself, rolling left and right. He didn't realize there was a wound there until he slapped himself and feel the rough plaster the soft cotton underneath.

"Oh, Mr. Mustang! You're awake!"

He looked up and found a nurse at the door. His grunt must've attracted the nurses passing by his room.

"Um…are you okay?"

"Yeah, aside of the pain on my head everything's fine" he said, as he tilted his body back.

"Then may I do the daily checkups?"

"Sure."

The nurse then unbuttoned his shirt and tucked the thermometer in one of his armpits. As she goes on with the checkups, he tried to remember more about what happened that day before he passed out.

…"_I will give you the time to pray to God"…_

…_BAM! BAM! BAM!..._

…"_ROY!"..._

A soft tug from the nurse when she took out the thermometer snapped him out of his memories. As he watched her writing on his chart, he felt that he almost reached the most important thing, or probably missed it. He rubbed his eyes, trying to gain more consciousness.

"Okay, I'm going to inject your medicine now, sir. Then you can take the pills and rest again," She said, as she took a syringe, injected the medicine in and tingle it to make sure she already put the right amount while he rolled up his shirt on his left. When she wiped the alcohol on his skin, the cold sense that he felt reminds him of dripping water on his skin. _Are those raindrops...or tears? _He thought. But the sudden sting that he felt made him startled, making a cut across his vein. The nurse put the syringe back on the tray and wiped the cut with alcohol to stop the blood.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay, sir. Does it really hurt?"

"No…it's just…I was thinking about something else…"

She then put the cotton away and grabbed the syringe again, ready to inject once more.

"Okay sir, please try not to move"

As the needle went through his skin, he ignored the sting that he felt and watched the liquid being pushed into his body inside the syringe. When the needle was removed, a spot of blood appeared and went down his skin.

…_blood?_

…_rain…tears…and blood…_

…_a smile…_

…_big, golden eyes…_


	12. Chapter 12

"…Ed?"

The nurse looked up, she just finished sticking a band-aid on the spot where she injected.

"Pardon me, sir?"

"My…my son! Ed, Edward! Where is he?" he asked, as he stood up and shakes her body with his arms on her shoulders. But the pain on his back and his stomach made him grunt and scrunched her shoulders.

"Um, sir… Please calm down first! Your wounds may open again!" she said, as she removed his hands from her shoulders and laid him back on his bed. She then gathered her instruments and put them on the hospital cart. After that, she kneeled down and adjusted the bedside table.

"But I…"

"I remember that there was also a boy when you were brought in… He was having some serious wounds too… But I don't remember his name…"

"Does he have golden hair and eyes?"

"Hmm…oh yes! I remember because his eyes are wide and beautiful, very unusual!"

"I…may I see him?"

"Let me check if he is your son or not, then I'll ask the head nurse whether he's allowed to be brought in here, since your condition won't allow you to go towards the children's wing yourself. I'll be right back" she then stood up, put the food tray and a small plate filled with three pills on the bedside table, pulled the cart out of the room and closed the door. The room went silent again, leaving him staring at the door. He sighed, and started to consume the medicine and the food. After he finished them, he laid back and stared at the ceilings.

_Ed…Is he going to be okay? …To think of it, it's been two years. Three years more…but what does the Fuhrer means by asking me to reveal his true power? It's not like he's actually a superhero and he has secret powers…and why does he put him as a state alchemist candidate? Like that kid can actually learn alchemy in such a young age? I mean how could that be possible? He can't even read yet, and it took me years before I finally familiarize myself with those runic alphabets and calculations! Or maybe the Fuhrer do knows that I can't do that so he could take him back. But…I don't want him to end up in that inhumane facility again! I guess there's no other way than teaching him alchemy…_

When he heard the door opened, he looked straight and found the nurse with Edward in her arms, he looks weak and his head, arms and leg were wrapped with bandage. But Roy didn't care. Without he realized, his eyes had opened wide and a smile rose on his lips, just like a kid in a candy store.

"EDWARD!"

"Daddy Roy!"

The nurse brought Ed closer and put him on the bed carefully. Roy quickly hugged him tightly and smiled in relief. "Thank goodness you're alright! I missed you so much!" he said, hugging the boy with tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. "Aaa missed yoo too!" he replied, still clinging on his shirt tightly. After he thanked the nurse, she left the two alone. Roy leaned back again, while Ed tried to make himself comfy. "Oops, careful Ed. Don't go left because I got a wound there" he said, as he moved Ed to the right.

"Daddy Roy…"

"Yes, Ed?"

"Why did you cly? Aaa nevel seen you cly…"

"Because I'm happy"

"Then why? Aaa thought people cly when they'le sad…"

He sighed, and stroked through his golden eyes gently "Well…when we're really happy, we can cry. It's called…tears of joy"

"Why ale yoo happy?'

"Because I can meet you again, Ed" he said, followed with a small laugh.

"Daddy Roy…"

"Yes, Ed?"

"Aaa love you!" Ed giggled, but those three words made Roy froze. _He loved me? After I kicked him out of the house, after all those years I treat him as if he's a total pest? As if he's a total road blocker that made me harder to woo the girls in town? _

He didn't realize that the face he was making made Ed concerned. He lifted his arm and touched Roy's face, letting his small, warm palms feel the stubby wet face. It made him feel even more guilty, that an innocent boy is willing to touch a sinner like him.

_Even though Ed is born out of sin, but the one who sinned is the one whoever created him. He was created, his soul was called to fill the flesh. Therefore he is not a sin, how come he is guilty? He never killed anyone. Who is the real sinner? The Ishbal War hero who killed lots of citizens or the first ever successful human transmutation attempt who was able to love the Ishbal War hero who've treated him really bad?_

"I'm sorry!" He blurted out, and hugged Ed again tightly. He cried and cried, and he didn't care if someone sees him right now. He just wanted to say sorry.

"Daddy Roy…" Ed called again, this time in a soft, whispering tone.

"…Yes?" Roy replied, despite of his voice being shaky

"Do yoo love me?"

He looked deep inside the pair of golden eyes for a while, and smiled.

"OF COURSE I LOVE YOU!" he said it out loud, grabbing the small body forward and kissed his cheeks. Ed just giggled, saying that Roy's stubby cheeks tickled him.

"Well, that is good to hear, lieutenant colonel Mustang!"

He released his grip from Ed, and looked up.

_OH MY GOD_.

"FUHRER KING BRADLEY!"

Roy wished that he could run away from the hospital, go to the train station and buy a ticket to Drachma and live in the mountains for the rest of his life because the leader of Amestris himself had stood before him after hearing his most embarrassing statement that he could ever say in front of the Fuhrer. But no, he can't run. Two bullets were just taken out of his body and he can't even got up from the bed. But King Bradley didn't seem to care, he just smiled and being friendly as usual, and Edward grip his father's shirt harder.

"Good day to you, Mustang! And good day to you too, Edward!"

"Good day, sir…but…but what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the HQ?"

"Oh…just visiting a sick friend. Do you like melons?" he said, as he lifted a plastic bag, which is of course, filled with a melon inside it. Roy couldn't help but reach it and put it on the bedside table. _GOD, WHERE ARE MY SUBORDINATES? I CAN'T GREET THE FUHRER ALONE WITH EDWARD WHILE BEING BED-RIDDEN LIKE THIS! _He thought, cursing one and every of them too. But when his mind reaches Hawkeye, he can't help but blush and oh yes, he remembered he had to thank the Fuhrer for visiting him and giving him melon. 

"Um…yes. Thank you very much, King Bradley!" _but this doesn't seem right_… He thought.

"My pleasure, Mustang! Oh and uh, how's this little fella doing here?" he reached his rough hands towards Ed to stroke his golden hair, but Ed shoved away and hugged Roy, more like choking if you ask me, because he is gripping him really hard, and he forgot about the warning of shoving to the left.

"Owww! Ed, I told you not to go to the left!" Roy said, while trying to move him to the right until his pain disappeared.

"Oh, is he shy, Mustang?"

"Soiee…but…am scaled of daa pilate!"

_PIRATE? Okay that makes a funny crack joke but I hope HE doesn't hear it…_

"N-no! Edward, he isn't! He's the president of the country! Fuhrer King Bradley! Don't be scared...he's a good guy!"

"Pirate? HA HA HA HA HA! I like this kid!"

"I am very truly apologize, my Fuhrer! I did not teach him that! Really, sir…"

"Oh come on, just relax! You don't have to be stern and stiff over a two-year old boy! I know, I know…I have a son just his age!"

But before Roy could reply back, they hear voices from outside

"_Fuhrer King Bradley! Where are you, Sir? You have to depart to Aerugo immediately!_"

"Hmm? Oh…seeing that the backup teams are now here…I left the office unannounced so…farewell!" he said, as he jumped out of the window, leaving Roy who is now as white as the sheets. Just a few moments later, Havoc and the other subordinates came in, questioning Ed what is wrong with Roy.

"Oh, dat's because he's just saw a pilate"

Everybody raised a twitch on their eyebrows. _Pirate?_

But they didn't care much. They're just happy seeing their old Mustang is being with them after weeks being dead to the world. Ed is now cheerful as his usual self, not to mention that he was being quiet when Roy's status was between life and death. Havoc, Breda, Fuery and Falman now have to concern about their ladies being stolen again, and soon a certain someone had to put her sidearm out just to force him to do paperwork…

"ROY!"

Talk about the devil, Riza suddenly barged in, tossed whatever she brought aside, ran to his bed and embraced him tight. The subordinates were turning red and showed the I-can't-believe-this expression. Surprise surprise, she was also crying. The atmosphere went from storm breeze to suffocating until someone broke it with a clack voice of door opening. "Edward, it's time for your daily check-up" the nurse said, walking towards him and grabbed his body.

"Naaa! I wanna stay with daddee roy! Aaa don't wanna go! Aaa don't wanna go!" he said, squirming and grabbing Roy's blanket that it almost fell away from the bed. The others just giggled.

"You can go back here after you have your check-up, it's not gonna take long! Come on, the doctor is waiting!" the nurse started to have a hard time to hold him, because Ed keeps squirming and he is harder to control. Havoc suddenly stood up and grabbed him from the nurse

"What about if you go with Havoc-niisan, hmmm?" he said, smiling as nice as he could. Ed cheered and finally agrees.

"Tch. What a smart way of using my son to get close to a girl!" Roy said, sighing and leaning back on the wall. But, he was a bit confused why the other subordinates trail along and… there it is. Roy and Riza, just the two of them in the all-white room.


	13. Chapter 13

"Um…"

His deep voice broke out the silence, and as he grabbed her shoulders and tell her to sit on the bed. She did, and he hugged her tightly. She just bluffed, but soon lean on his shoulders and make herself comfortable as she inhales his body that is now smells like cleansing alcohol and mixed with disinfectant instead of his usual cool celebrity-like cologne. Weird and smells like uncomfortable, but the warmth that she felt from his flesh is more than enough.

"…Riza, shall we continue that thing from the other day?"

She glanced back through her memories and had her eyes wide open, surprised that he still remembered that. But that means he is waiting for it, and now that she remembered she blushed and felt the strong urge for the same thing. She nodded in silence, and moved her head to the front of his. Again, the obsidian eyes met the hazel eyes. They both smiled, and soon it faded away after they leaned their body closer and…

"LIEUTENANT COLONEL ROY MUSTANG! HOW GRATEFUL I AM TO SEE THAT YOU'RE DOING ALRIGHT!"

Again, they pushed each other's aside. Riza fell back from her chair, while Roy accidentally moved on the wrong spot. Both actions put them screaming in pain, for her back and for his wounds.

_WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE AN INCH LEFT BETWEEN US? WHY? AND OF ALL PEOPLE, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE THAT PACK OF BULGING MUSCLES WHO BOTHER US? THIS IS WORSE THAN BEING GAPPED BY THAT BIGWIG BRADLEY THIS MORNING! _He thought, cursing whoever had made their faith. But soon, they managed to overcome their pains. Somehow it made him stopped confessing his feelings. Maybe it isn't a good day to confess anything, even love – which is the forte of him. But he swears that he heard somebody outside whispering about bets and cursing Armstrong for ruining the moment, which if he could, he'll do it too RIGHT NOW. _Oh wait, now THAT's the reason why the subordinates went away!_ But no more time to ponder on that problem, he have to look for a way how to get rid of this giant before Ed comes back or he'll end up seeing his kid like a scramble egg.

"Hmm? Are you guys alright?" Armstrong asked, helping Riza get back on her chair while Roy tried to move himself back to his old position without making himself hurt after that jolt. "We…we're OKAY, Major Armstrong. Just…please KNOCK on the door before you come in…" he replied weakly. "Oh, I thought I just cannot wait to make you feel better by showing you my sparkling and beautiful muscles!" Armstrong then removed his uniform and revealed his muscles to Roy and Riza, posing in pride. The two did nothing but freeze in shock. What snapped their minds back to the world is the creaking voice of the door, opening to let Maes who pushed Gracia on her wheelchair. She was staying ten doors away on the same floor. As usual, they both greeted everyone and Roy made a mental note to himself that he owed his best friend a big one from rescuing him from Armstrong's DEADLY muscles. Ed and the subordinates soon joined them, and the lonely hospital ward soon became a crowd. But time slips away so fast when it was filled with happiness, especially if you fill it together with friends. Ed is now fell asleep on Roy's bed, and the nurse will soon take him away and put him back in children's ward. Roy himself was sitting at the edge of his bed, talking with the other subordinates and discussing things that he'd been missed since he passed out. When the conversation turned quiet, he coughed twice to gather attention from everyone in the room.

"Anything you want to say, sir?" Riza asked, while pouring some tea for everyone. He nodded and then gulped. _This is what I've decided…whatever the result is I just wanted to tell everyone. I have to…for my sake and for his sake too…_

"...I…I have a confession to make," He said, tilting his head and his eyes looking straight to everyone's eyes. "Sure, Roy. Fire away" Maes said, while joining him on the side of the bed. He then gulped and took a deep, deep breath.

"You know…I think this incident have its own equivalent exchange in a different way…and it also taught me something and realize my true feelings…the thing is that…back then when we fight that scarred man…I was so weak and I can't stand up anymore, but all of a sudden I feel a strong urge to get up and…when I received the bullets on my body…I didn't feel any pain. I feel grateful that me, a sinner who killed all those people in the war…can protect one innocent boy. And…at the same time…I realized that…that…"

They are all still paying attention to him. Roy looked up, blinked his eyes and let out a sigh.

"I love him" he paused for a moment, and then continued on "I want to watch him grow, I never wanted to miss every single moments in his life. I wanted to protect him the rest of my life and I know it can only be me. I will try to be the father that he always thought I am, and no matter what will happen I will always be there for him whenever he needs me"

The room went silent for three uncomfortable seconds. Then, everyone stood up and clapped their hands. Roy thought they'll laugh out loud but they clapped. He thought his sight and his hearings went wrong until the boys gave him a slap on his back

"OOOWWWWWW! WATCH IT! YOU ALL ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THE EXTRA STITCHES IF THEY BROKE!"

Watched by his subordinates, he grunted and petted his back. They just laughed and tease him until their ears caught a small moan – they thought that Ed's awake now, but all he did was crawl towards the edge of the bed and leaned his head on Roy's side. Usually Roy will just try to kick him out of bed or shift himself further, but he didn't and wrapped the little boy in his arms instead. Roy and his subordinates keeps on talking for hours until the nurse who brought Ed came and told everyone that visiting hours are over and Ed must go back to his own ward. The others realized that the sun was almost down, so they decided to leave, but Roy asked Riza to stay for a little while. Not long after that, the room went back to its state a few hours ago – all white and quiet, but somehow comforting. The hazel eyes met with the obsidian eyes again.

He pressed his lips on her soft blushing cheeks, and smiled gently to her.

"Thank you"

She blushed and turned away, she couldn't stare into those obsidian eyes that makes her tingle and blush like a schoolgirl in love, but she's afraid that she'll make an impression to Roy that she doesn't like it. She grabbed a piece of cherry from the fruits basket placed on the end table next to Roy's hospital bed, nibbled a piece of it and inserted it on his mouth, then left the room immediately. Roy himself, with the cherry in his mouth, just stared at the door. Slowly, the cherry slipped in and as he bit it and feel the taste, a smile curved on his lips. Meanwhile, outside on the Central City streets, Riza walked all the way home with apple-red blush on her cheeks.

Weeks had passed, Ed and Roy had recovered and now they're back home. As usual, the lieutenant colonel is now working on his paperwork that had piled up while he was in the hospital in his study. As he worked on them, he moaned in his mind why does paperwork had to exist. Twisting his aching neck left and right and stretched his arms as far as he could to make himself comfortable after feeling his body getting stiff because of hours sitting on the desk, he looked at the clock.

"Time to cook dinner," He pushed himself backwards with the chair and went straight to the door.

"Ed, I'm going to cook dinner! What do you want?"

Silence.

"Hey, Ed? Edward?"

No replies.

Thinking about the last time there was no answer from Ed, he searched all over his apartment looking for the little golden-haired shrimp, opening one room after another quickly, half-running across his living room only to find the boy he'd been looking for was lurking at the corner of his bedroom, leaning on a teddy bear and using a big book as a blanket. Roy crouched down and giggled, seeing his so-called son's peaceful sleeping face is something that always soothes him down and time goes by with all of his problems, and he already forgot all the tiresome feelings that he felt when he was working with his paperwork. But when he's going to wake him up, he rose both of his eyebrows and gasped, seeing that the book he used as a blanket is a basic alchemy book that he thought was gone since the last time he went to high school. The book was dusty and all the pages had turned yellow, and as he flipped over the pages, he knew that Ed didn't just grab a random book to be used as a blanket. Traces of chocolate fingerprints were found from the first to third chapter. Next to the sleeping boy, a pack of chocolate chip cookie was found and cookie crumbs were found on his lips.

_He was reading it. This…this can't be true! He is just a two-year-old! Children his age usually choose books with amusing pictures…how does runic circle diagrams and elemental calculations amuse a kid? Why the book full of texts? _

"Mmmhh…is dinnel leady, daddy Roy?" he asked half-yawning, followed by scrubbing his eyes. He blinked a few times then saw the raven-haired man with a stern face. Usually he did that when Ed did bad things, such as wetting the bed or running away when it's bath time. "Eep! Daddy Roy, did I do something wlong?" he shrieked, as he fell back and hide behind his teddy. Roy realized that whatever he just did was scaring in front of him. He closed the book and sighed.

"Ed, did you read through this book?"

"Yeah, I was leading it. Am I not allowed to lead it?"

"It's not like that, Ed. Did you or did you not understand what's written in this book?"

"Umm…solta. I just figuled out what's wlitten on that book. It was coveled with dust bunnies when I found it"

"Hmm…Ed, I think you're too young to learn such difficult book…you even haven't go to school yet!"

"Am not too young! Watch this!" he said, as he grabbed a piece of blue crayon and draw a double-circle and a triangle on top of the wooden floor. Roy just watched it in amazement, how fast he drew the circle, how neat and accurate the transmutation circle was better than what he did back when he was in high school. The golden-haired boy then stood up, and put his palms on the circle. Light of transmutation reactions soon sparked on the floor, and Roy was really shocked. Even though he is an alchemist himself and used to see those kinds of reactions, but not once he ever saw that from a two-going-three-years-old boy. After all the lights were gone, he popped his eyeballs out and dropped his jaws when he saw a small bear appeared in the middle of the circle, and that some of the wood floors were taken, as if it was forced by an energy to form the bear. He never thought that a two-year-old doing alchemy, and it worked.

"EDWARD! YOU'RE A GENIUS!" he said, lifting the little boy high up in the air and quickly brought him back to his chest, which send them both back on the floor because Roy couldn't bare his weight and he was standing on the wrong position. Ed is now sitting on top of his chest, seeing the face of his daddy Roy being as happy as ever. He couldn't help but smile back, and they both laughed out loud happily.

"Umm…daddy Roy, is it okay for me to lealn alchemy? Ol is it a bad thingie?" Ed asked, sitting on the kitchen counter watching the person he asked cracking eggs and stirring it with the spatula. Roy just nodded and smiled

"Yes, yes! Sure you can, Ed! Don't be scared like that, it's not a bad thing! I'm proud of you!"

"Reelly?"

"Really! I can't even do such thing back when I was your age! Now I can brag my son to all my subordinates and my girlfriends!"

That night, the fourth avenue apartement was more crowed than usual with cheers and laughs of the so-called father and son, ignoring the water that went drip-drop-drip-drop in the sink, and went down the sewage, into the sewers and out to the fountain in the park.

"Envy, Envy!"

The water then formed into a lady, just like before. She stepped out of the fountain and went closer to the sleeping stray dog on top of the park bench.

"Envy, wake up!"

"Heh, I am awake, Sloth!" the dog said, then forming back into his normal form. "So, what's the progress?" he asked in his usual stubborn tone of voice and leaning back on the bench, folding his legs.

"Tell everyone, that the egg had started to hatch"

He smirked, and laughed sheepishly, echoing onto the night sky of Central.


	14. Chapter 14

TWO YEARS LATER

It was 9:00 PM. The crowd in Central City has faded. Lights were glowing in the streets, creating shadows and silhouettes on the walls. Alley cats were singing together with the crickets. At the Fourth Avenue Street in Central City, a happy child's laugh coming out from one of the windows of the apartment. Edward Elric Mustang, now four years old, is jumping on his bed in his pajamas. He laughed cheerfully as his foot touched the mattress and he pushed it forward, bringing him high up in the air. He repeated it again and again, bouncing and bouncing like a kangaroo on his little bed.

"Not sleeping yet, Edward?"

It's Roy Mustang, his _adoptive_ father, not a 'so-called father' anymore. Roy Mustang is the famous Flame Alchemist who rescued him from death three years ago. He's been watching the little energetic bedbug jumping since five minutes ago.

"No, daddy! I'm not sleepy!"

It has become Ed's unchangeable habit to call him 'daddy', and it has become Roy's digestible habit to be called 'daddy'. He went towards his bed and caught the little bug before he touched the ground.

"Ha~! Gotcha you Lil' bedbug!"

"Don't call me bedbug! I'm not little!"

They both laughed as Ed tried to wrestle him. Of course he couldn't get away, but Roy do feel that his little boy's kick is getting stronger.

"Ooh, you're right! You're growing bigger than when I first saw you of course! But you're still smaller than me!"

Ed replied it with a pout, and Roy couldn't help but laugh, "You'll grow taller someday, maybe taller than me. You grow up fast!"

"Really? Then can I learn flame alchemy?"

Seeing the boy's glittering eyes, he stroked his golden hair as he pulled the blanket to cover his little body.

"Sure you can! Now come on, it's your first day of school tomorrow so get some sleep!"

"Um… why do I have to go to school again?"

"All alchemists have to go to school. At school, you can learn lots of things and have lots of friends!"

"Really?"

He nodded, and gave a goodnight kiss to Ed

"Goodnight, Edward"

"Goodnight, daddy"

Ed replied back with a goodnight kiss to Roy. As he hugged his teddy bear and closed his eyes, Roy turned off the lights and closed the door, leaving the nightlight on.

_Flame alchemy, huh? _

_He's four years old now…one more year, just one more year. I don't know whether the Fuhrer will accept his alchemy ability at this rate…But what can you expect? Isn't it fascinating that a boy his age reading runic alphabets and drawing transmutation circles and calculating elemental mathematics…tch. If all those state alchemist heard him, they'd have a seizure for sure! _

_Flame alchemy…okay. First of all, I already promised Riza not to spill any of this to anybody else…she even asked me to torch her back so there will be no flame alchemist born after me. Well, I do heard of generations of state alchemists passing their specialty from one generation to another…but still…_

_I can't bare seeing him walking on the same path as me._

_Pathway of a sinner. _

_No, no! I don't want him to end up in a place like Ishbal. The pathway of a state alchemist…Doing the governments dirty work, following one and every of their word, even though that costs lives of the innocent. _

_I can't _

PEEP PEEP PEEP

CLACK.

Roy tried to open his eyes as he hung his right hand on his alarm clock's button. He usually set his alarm at 8 AM, but since he got a schoolboy in the house now, he had to set it two hours forward. As he blinked, he tried to figure out what time is it.

6:02 AM.

He then forced himself to get up, went out of his room and into Ed's bedroom, where he found the little boy sleeping.

"Ed, wake up. It's your first day of school," Roy said in a whispering tone while jerking his little body. Ed slowly opened his bright golden eyes, and when he saw a familiar obsidian pair of eyes, in front of him, he turned slowly and smiled.

"Morning, daddy Roy…" he said, followed with a yawn. His gestures when he just woke up made Roy's a little more awake than a few seconds ago. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to figure out why does his father wake him up when the sun wasn't up yet?

"Morning, Ed. Ready for school?"

"Un!" he jumped up enthusiastically and hugged Roy. Once he got latched on his back, they both went out of the room and into the bathroom to gussy up. Minutes later, he's ready with his uniform with two stars on the lines on his shoulders, while the little one was having a hard time with his uniform. After a sigh, Roy quickly went to him and helped him. First, buttoning the shirt, which is rare for him because mostly he used t-shirts and turtle neck sweaters that Gracia made for him. He only used buttoned-up shirt on special occasions, and it's always Roy who buttoned them up because he didn't want to be late just because of waiting a boy buttoning his shirt. _Teaching him how to button his shirt up, that goes to my top to-do list for Ed for today. _Second, his tie. He had to untie it from the tangle that Ed had made from his first attempt of tying it by himself. Ed never wears that kind of tie, always bowties with a latch on the back that hung on the back of the collar. _Teaching him how to put the tie properly goes on my second._ Third, his shoelaces. Again, he had to untie them from the frizzy tangle that he even didn't know if that is a shoelace or a fishing line. _Teaching him how to deal with shoelaces goes on my third. _Then, he brushed his golden hair quickly and brought him to the mirror.

"See, Ed? Looked neat, huh?"

Ed nodded, and it took a few seconds until Roy found that he was holding a frown on his face. He then leaned down, and cupped his chin with both of his hands.

"What is it, Ed?"

"I-I'm scared…What if there's something bad at school?"

Roy knew what he meant. Of course there are fears when going on a new place or a new experience. What if this goes wrong? What if there's something bad happens?

"Well, you haven't know, right? As far as I know, nothing bad will happen"

Of course, he haven't mentioned those bullies but hey, he didn't want to scare him about the first impression of school and he knew that his son here is tough and brave. Ed is his son no matter what, of course he inherits his charms!

At 7:30 AM, Hughes and Havoc came to pick them up. School and HQ is in one way, so they decided to bring Ed along in Roy's carpool rather than paying extra fees for chaperones, and he could always manage to get a subordinate to pick him up afterschool when he can't. When Roy went out of his apartment building, Hughes greeted them with a flash of camera.

"Why did you bring a camera?"

"Because I wanted to keep a memory of Ed's first day of school! Hey, I am considered as his daddy too, I'm your childcare guru!" he said in his bright and happy-joy-joy tone, and giving a slap on his best friend's back. They soon all get into the military limo with Havoc driving. As he saw the scenes went by from the car window, Ed can feel his heartbeats on the top of his skin, feeling excited and imagining what sort of things will happen at school.


	15. Chapter 15

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the school gate. After stopping the car, Havoc went out and opened the car door for his superior. Roy went out first, and then helped Ed out of the car and onto the ground. Before they walked into the school gate and joined the crowd of new students and their parents, Roy leaned down, put his hands on his son's shoulders and look straight into his golden eyes. "Okay Ed, your uniform is neat, your hair is brushed, now all you need is a charming smile for uncle Maes's camera and for your new friends" he said, and smiled along as he saw Ed's lips forming the smile he asked for. "Ready?" Ed nodded enthusiastically and when he looked up, he felt his rough fingers stroking through his golden hair. Looks like the other parents are bringing a camera like what his best friend did, and when they got the turn to take a picture in front of the gate Hughes signaled for them to look at the camera, they both turned to him and after a flash, he stood up and when he reached out his hands, Ed grabbed one of them and hold it tight as they walked into the gate. Hughes and Havoc waited in front of the car, smiling as they saw both of them walking into the school building.

"You know what? He changed a lot. Ed is a good influence to him, and me! Now I rarely see him going on late-night dates – which adds more chance for me!"

"I was right, leaving Ed with the right parent. Even though you guys didn't see it but I know those two are a perfect match ever since I saw lil' Ed from the first time…but I never knew that such small and young child can cure a military man whose in his twenties"

"Well, not only Roy. All of us in his team feel the same too. Every time… every time we sees his smiling face, it is as if we're being washed away by our sins in the past. Not only in Ishbal war, but everything"

"I guess he's a little wizard after all"

Thirty minutes later, Roy is back at the front gate, without Ed of course. He jumped into the limo without buts or questions, and then they made it to the HQ in silence.

"Sir, please start working on those papers"

Roy was pondering out to the window when Riza's voice forced him to snap out of his mind. He grabbed his pen and read through a document, signed it, put it aside, leaned back on his chair, sighed, and back to square one. Riza can't help but shook her head as she sighed, looking at her superior acting like a little boy who had to be reminded to finish his meal every five minutes when he was caught too focusing on the sceneries outside the window. Riza herself feels that she was getting exhausted too, but those papers must be finished or it could be a ticket for them to be demoted which will be a total humiliation because they were respected in the war period for their talents and remarkable achievements – and their young age. And, between the moment when she almost reached her limit of her stress level parameter, Hughes barged into the room.

"Hi there, guys! Um…Riza? Why did you look so exhausted?"

"It's because my superior won't do his paperwork and it seems that he's lazier than usual"

Hughes just sighed and laughed. Roy didn't seem to care, but Riza just replied with a funny twitch on her eyebrows. Then, he put his hands on her shoulders and dragged her out of the room.

"Riza, dear. This is just a simple case that…every fathers in the world face when it's their child's first day of school. It's called…uh… worried."

"Worried?"

"Don't pretend with my 'parental' eyes, Riza. You're worried about lil' Ed too. What if he's bullied? What if he missed you? And so on. But no, Roy taught him right. Ed is a brave kiddo. And kids his age needs to start to socialize with each other his age. One of the ways is through school"

"Major Hughes…"

"Yes?"

"You should stop working in the military and think seriously about working in children psychology"

Riza just walked away and deep in her heart, she felt that some ounces of weights that she'd been carrying in her mind all day was taken off, leaving Maes who is now scratching his head.

Hours passed by, and it's time for them to pick up Ed from school. Ignoring the stack of paperwork that were piling on his desk, he grabbed his coat ad paced to the military garage and get his car, then went away.

"Geez, Fuery! What's with him? Is he going for another date? But I thought Hawkeye won't allow that in office hours!"

"No, Brosch. He's picking Ed from school"

On the road, Roy hummed to his favorite song as he enjoyed the breeze from the window. When he arrived, parents and chaperones gathered in front the building, waiting at the main door for their children to come out. He soon joined them, and each of them took a glance at him. Men stared at him for his uniform and his rank, while women stared at him for his face and his posture, and when they saw his back they all stared at him for the silver chain that were latched on his hips. They wondered whose parent is he, and could be their children become his child's friend. When he finally managed to get a spot on Ed's class window, he looked around and soon his eyes caught the sight of the golden-haired boy. He seemed to look happy to gather between boys and girls his age. Ten minutes later the teacher told everyone to say goodbye, and the students flocked out of the class with a proud smile. When they went out of the door, Roy glanced through the little children for a while until he spotted his son's bright golden hair which contrasts among them all who had typical hair colors, and that today's sun was really bright. He waved to his son while calling out his name, and soon their eyes met. Ed then pushed through the flock of students and made his way through to Roy and leaped into his father's arms

"Edward! How's your first day of school, lil' guy?"

"Don't call me little, daddy Roy! Oh and today I got lots of new friends and the teacher Miss Bella is really nice and we were taught to sing songs and Miss Bella said I have a beautiful voice! Then we all have lunch and after we finished our food we're allowed to play! And then…"

Seeing him being enthusiastic and all always being a good cure to all his stress that he feels at work. For some people children being talkative are horrifying, because they're being happy and sad over simple things and they talk with peppy voice that could make your ears bleed and all. Roy used to think like that, but Ed had changed his point of view about children and he thought that, how Ed sees the world – is the real truth about what the world is. That's why he thought, only the innocent who can see the truth.

"Mom! Mom! There he is, my new friend Edward and his daddy!" a boy pointing out to them while tugging his mother's skirt.

"Christopher! Daddy, that's my friend Christopher!" he said enthusiastically. Roy can't help but put him down to the ground because he's been squirming since his eyes caught a glance on his friend. He then hugged his new friend and they ran to their other friends who were playing at the playground, leaving the mother and Roy jumping into a conversation.

"Hello there, ma'am. I am Roy Mustang, Edward's…um…"

"Father? Oh hello there! I'm Jamie Collin, Christopher's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir"

Even though it's been four years, but he is still having some embarrassment left in his heart when he had to state himself as a father in front of the public. As they talked, soon the other parents joined them, introducing and asking each other simple things.

"Oh, umm…by the way, where's Edward's mother?"

The simple question from Mrs. Collin silenced the flock of parents who were chatting. Well of course they ask, because you can't sight a high-ranked military personnel picking up his son alone in office hours. Logically, the _wife _will do it. Roy was speechless, and the parents still looking at him. He looked down, thinking what the hell should he answer and he needed it quick, because if he stays silent people will think negative things such as the mother leave them (due to his young age and appearance) or the mother died.

"Um…He…he's adopted. Edward's adopted. I found him abandoned in a small village in the east after the civil war and I decided to take care of him"

"Really? I think that is a very remarkable thing to do, seeing that you're very young. You've changed my point of view about state alchemists, Mr. Mustang"

The parents praised him, and Roy sort of feels a bit proud even though what he stated is not completely true. But he felt that the fact he rescued a life makes him feel better than not doing anything at all after he killed people in the Ishbal war.

"_Where's Edward's mother?" _

It was late. He was just done tucking Ed to bed and now he's preparing to sleep too. But the question still echoes in his mind. He never thought of it, but now that Edward goes to school, sooner or later he will question the existence about his mother. Until now, Ed never asked, and Roy never mentions it too. He's afraid that this will affect his son. Does he really have to get married now? But with who? A short flash of his lieutenant came, but when he felt that he's blushing and all he quickly knocked his head with his own fists, trying to wipe out the image of her being Ed's mom.

_Ed couldn't possibly have a mother. He was transmuted. According to the book he was…_

_Wait a second…I think I missed something…_

He quickly grabbed the folder that he found a long time ago in Resembool, and flipped open to the part where it stated the materials. One by one, he traced to the scribbled handwritings of the legendary alchemist and found the part where it states a familiar word.

"…Baby…in mother's…"

The words are a bit blur, and some other's are written in other languages or alphabets which could possibly came from Ishbal, Aerugo or places as far as Xing. But his eyes can't lie him. The word "baby" and "mother" is clearly stated on the book. Getting the idea that this might be a new theory towards human transmutation, he quickly shoved away from his desk, went outside and grabbed the phone.

"Hello, mm? Sorry for calling in so late but…can you send me some of father's language dictionary? Yeah, I need Ishbalan, Aerugoian, Drachman, and Xingese. Uhm… yes. Yeah… No! I need them as fast as possible. Hmm… Okay, thanks a lot."


	16. Chapter 16

As Roy hung up the phone, he sighed. _Having your father as a spelunker is not as bad as you always think_, he thought. He remembered those days he spent alone in his childhood without his father and ended up staring at his friends with envy. His father was a spelunker and travelled throughout the world, and the last time he left was before he went to junior high and nobody ever heard of him again. Eventually, his mother married another man named Roger Mustang, who worked as a head chef of a five-star hotel in Grand Central, and now living peacefully with his mother enjoying their pension days in the beach side block housing at West City. Roger was a very kind man, and he was somebody that fulfilled Roy's childhood dreams of having a father. But still, he couldn't help but think about his real father, a blurry figure that always sits somewhere in his memories.

"…Daddy…"

"Huh? What is it, Edward?" the peppy and childish voice of his son snapped him out of his glance back through his childhood memories, and he quickly approached Ed.

"…I can't sleep…I just had a bad dream…"

"Ed, it's just a dream. It's not real. There's nothing to be scared of, I'm here," he said, as he quickly gave him a hug and stroked through his loose golden hair.

"…But it's still scary…I can't sleep…"

Ed started to sob. Roy hugged him closer. He didn't know if he's going to make them both suffocating but at least this always works whenever Ed almost cries. He can't bare seeing his beautiful golden eyes turned red. The warmth created in the atmosphere makes him remember back when he was his age, every time he had nightmares he had nobody to calm him down or tuck him back to bed. His mother always busy writing novels to keep the food on the table, and his sisters were having slumber parties which if he dared to entered their rooms he'll end up getting dressed up all night and his mother will scream to his sisters to find him with a dress, and lipstick and powders all over his face in the morning.

But now Ed has him. And he didn't want the same to repeat again. He didn't want another soul to feel the same pain that he felt back then.

"Ed…you want sleep with me?"

Ed slowly nodded, and letting out a moan which indicates a "yes". Still clinging to his shoulders, Roy picked him up and they both went to bed together.

Up outside, on top of the apartment roof, Envy and Lust were sitting together, letting their long, black hair flow with the wind.

"Hey, Lust. When can we use 'him'?"

"Be patient, Envy. Pride hasn't told us to use 'him'. Besides, at this rate, 'he' isn't ready yet"

"Geez! Such things like human takes it very slow to be used!"

"We are too, Envy. Don't forget the original form of us"

"All right, all right! But I can't wait to see their faces when they knew the existence of 'him' they're going to be white as sheets! Hah hah hah hah hah!"

"Oh and one more thing, 'it' is not human from now on. He is one of us"

"Really? Even though he's not actually a…"

"But still. He is created in the same way as us"

"Hmm…right. What's his name, then? Has father told us?"

"Wrath"

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Time goes by and it has been four months since Ed started school. Both he and Roy had been started to get used to their new daily schedule. But Roy will realize that parenting won't be that simple.

Especially if your child is an alchemic prodigy

It was lunch break, and Roy was about to enjoy the apple pie that Riza and Gracia had baked for him and Hughes until the phone rings.

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang speaking"

_What?_

"Um…put her through"

After a few conversations, he left a be-right-back-it's-emergency note on the desk before he left to the garage and get his car. Later on when Riza found the note, she just sighed and stacked the new documents on his desk and gather with everyone at the lounge. With lieutenant colonel Mustang out and most of the paperwork were done, that afternoon went relaxing. The guys were busy playing chess and talking about crime cases, while the girls were chatting and gossiping about almost everything - from fashion to cookbooks. But then, came the topic of the skirt-chasing lieutenant colonel and his golden-haired son.

"Wow, that is the third time this week I see him left the office after he got a phone call from Ed's school, and you still managed to keep your guns in your pocket. Are the maintenance people were too pissed off to fix the holes in the office?" Ross said, while pouring a cup of tea for everyone

"No, it's because Ed makes troubles" Riza said, still in her stern style while polishing one of her guns.

"Well, like father like son. Edward is such a mischief," Rebecca added, while brushing her long wavy black hair.

"But come on, Riza! Why would they call a top-notch state alchemist if it's only a four-year-old mischief?" Ross asked again, now opening a box of cookies and offering it to each of them.

"Well, what would you have if you add the four-year-old mischief with alchemy?"

And the last statement made Ross and Rebecca turned to each other. "Alchemy?"

"Two days ago, the lieutenant colonel was called because Ed was transmuting all the baby dolls in the playroom into demon dolls for the boys to play and scare all the girls and he's allowed to go home after Ed agreed to transmute them back"

"Wow…"

"Yesterday, he was called again because Ed scribbled all over the playground to draw transmutation circles with chalk and when he transmuted them and create holes, he was making everyone fell and after he transmuted the whole place back to normal, the lieutenant colonel had to pay for the medical fees because some children were hurt"

"Oh my…"

"I wonder why he taught Ed alchemy in such a young age?"

"But a boy his age being able to learn it is a miracle already!"

"Fuhrer's order. He wanted Ed to be taught alchemy by the age of five and planned him to become a state alchemist candidate. If the Fuhrer thinks that the lieutenant colonel is not skilled enough to taught Ed, he will be taken care under the Fuhrer again"

Just as Riza finished talking, the lounge door opened wide and it turned out that it was the flame alchemist, with Ed clutching on his back. This time, Ed was bleeding with cuts and bruises all over his body. Roy quickly set him down on the couch and went to Falman.

"Falman, get me the first-aid box"

"Oh my lord, what happened to Ed?" Ross asked, while approaching Ed to see him closer

"He was having a fight with Jason Hakuro, the son of General Hakuro from New Optain and it turned out that they were arguing and whatever it is it made Ed went berserk and pinned him on a concrete wall with alchemy by the limbs"

"What? How could Ed do such thing?"

"And with Hakuro's son?"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT, DADDY ROY!" Ed suddenly screamed

"SHUT UP, EDWARD! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO USE YOUR ALCHEMY TO HARM PEOPLE!" Roy screamed back. Looks like he's losing his patience.

"WELL YOU'RE USING YOUR ALCHEMY TO BURN PEOPLE!"

The last part that Ed spoke out stabbed him on the right spot. Roy went out of control and when he realized it, his hands were stinging because of the slap he just gave to his son. Ed's golden eyes turned red and he cried out loud, making everyone stare at him. It's been a long time since they heard his eardrum-piercing wail.

"Roy! You're not supposed to do that!" Maes stepped in. He began to lose his patience about the father and son both being immature.

"Well this boy is doing the wrong thing, Maes! I never taught him to use alchemy to hurt his friends!"

"He was right, you are using your alchemy to harm people!"

"Well it's my job! I'm a state alchemist!"

"Does a four-year-old boy understand that? You're just worried that the incident with Hakuro's son will harm your rank and your reputation with the higher-ups! Then what? Hit him without asking the reason why does he have to pin Hakuro's son by the limbs on the wall? What if it was his son who was wrong at the first place? Do you trust Ed? Well to tell you the truth, I trust him. Not because he is the son of somebody who is having a higher rank than me, and if I have to do that I'd trust Hakuro's son!"

Again, Roy felt that a knife stabbed his heart, especially in the part about "rank and reputation" that Hughes mentioned.

"Hawkeye, clean up his wounds. I'm going out to get some fresh air"

Roy then left, followed by Hughes. The others just gathered at the couch and watch Riza treated his wounds just like what Roy told her to.

"Ed, mind if I ask why you were fighting with Jason?"

"We argue who is the best military personnel, his dad or mine. Then he said that his father told him daddy Roy is a military bastard who has no brains, so I transmuted him to the wall but he won't say sorry. Daddy Roy was the one who released him"

_Wow, Hakuro is using a VERY NICE method of parenting, _everyone thought.

"So you're fighting for your dad?"

Ed nodded and winced when Riza tightened the bandage on his left ankle.

"I don't like if people say bad things about daddy Roy! But why daddy Roy is mad at me? Is it wrong if I fight for him?"

"No, you're not wrong if you fight for your dad. But you shouldn't use your alchemy to harm your friends. Your dad is using them to harm bad people"

"Bad people?"

"Yes, bad people. People such as thieves, robbers, murderers…"

Without they knew it, Roy was overhearing their conversation outside with Hughes. His face and eyes went red all over, hearing the statement that Ed was fighting for him.

"Well, well…looks like your childcare guru here have to be proud of his apprentice. And you owe Hawkeye too – get her some ice cream or something. I heard she's been craving for some ice cream," Hughes gave him two taps on his back, then left. Rubbing his eyes, Roy went back into the room and hugged Ed tight, making him suffocating and screaming because he was squeezing on one of the scrapes that Riza haven't treated yet. Not long after that, the phone rings and the phone call is just what everyone had guessed.

"Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, phone call from you from General Hakuro at New Optain Headquarters"

Roy snatched the phone from Brosch's hands and spoke,"Mustang speaking. I'd like to tell you, General Hakuro. My son DID do the right thing. Before you send your son to school, why don't you tell him how to behave and not calling people bastard, or I assume that he was inheriting that word from you. I think parents who taught their children to cuss are the ones without brains, and I never taught mine to do so, and I will not ask for your apology, but I will ask Ed to apologize to your son. Thank you and have a good day"

He quickly put the phone back to the cradle, leaving everyone staring at him with eyes popping and jaws dropping. Roy himself just smiled proudly, soon followed with Ed's.

That evening after the office hours ends, Roy took Ed out for some ice cream, with Riza too as a thank-you gift for treating Ed's wounds. It seems that Ed was pretty exhausted that day, and Roy ended up holding Ed on his back because he was sleeping already by the time they walked Riza home. It was not long until they reached her apartment.

"Well…Once again, thanks for taking care of Edward"

"It was no big deal. And thank you for the ice-cream too"

"Nah, it's okay. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow…Roy"

"See you tomorrow, Riza"

She went closer to Ed and kissed one of his soft, blushing cheeks.

"See you tomorrow, lil' Ed"

"Hey Riza, what about me?"

Riza just giggled, cupped his chins, leaned up and kissed his forehead. Roy just smiled and turned back, but right before he left the apartment gate, they both heard Ed mumbling in his sleep

"Bye bye, mommy…"

And it made them both blush as red as reindeer's nose. Even though the wind was blowing hard that night, Roy felt pretty warm all the way back to his apartment. After he tucked his son to bed, he went back to his study and went through the same old folder. This time, accompanied with a dictionary.

_I need to find it quick…I feel that something's bad going to happen…_


	17. Chapter 17

Friday. The last day before people can finally took off from their daily intakes of work and school. Even though some people hate Fridays and wished to skip that so they could just go to Saturday and enjoy the break until Monday comes. One of many people in Amestris who wished so is the famous Flame Alchemist himself. He keeps moaning behind his desk about the whole Friday-skipping idea with paperwork stacking and Riza getting tired about telling him to do his job, just as usual. A mary-sue drama that happens everyday in the south-side office of the building since Roy gets his own room and Hawkeye assigned to accompany him.

"Sir, please start working on those paperwork"

"Oh, um, ah…look! It's time for me to pick up Lil' Ed from school!"

"You can send someone to get him. I'll get Havoc to do that" she then turned around to the door and about to turn the knob before the lieutenant colonel grabbed one of her arms.

"Any problems, sir?"

"Please, please, please, Hawkeye! Please let me pick up Ed by myself! I miss my lil' guy already! Look, I promise to do my paperwork and I promise I'll finish them fast so you and I don't have to do overtime today. Will you just…please, let me pick him up?"

Roy's face pleading like a kid in a toy shop pleading to his mommy to buy him a toy was just one of Riza Hawkeye's unspoken weaknesses. She got many of them, but this one was just too obvious to everyone. She let out a sigh, and then smiled.

"Okay"

"YES! Thank you Riza, love you!" and landed a quick kiss on her forehead before he rushed out of the office and to the garage.

"You jerk. My dad's going to kill him if he knows that his ex-apprentice is playing something to his little girl" she said, still smiling and blushing while sorting out paperwork on his desk, and humming her favorite love song.

Thirty minutes later, Roy came back with Ed clinging on his back, just what she expected. _Now he can finish the paperwork as he promised, _she thought. But instead of going back to his chair and start working, after he put his son and the schoolbag on the sofa, he rushed to the phone.

"Sir? Who are you calling? I thought…"

"Look, Hawkeye. I don't know about other parents but, aside of job and those goddamn paperwork, my son is number one"

"What do you mean?"

"Ed collapsed just after lunch break, and the teachers were trying to call me but the military operator won't let them through. Unfortunately, Bella Anderson, the only teacher that I had authorized to dial through office line was sick. So they can't do anything and they can only wait until me or a guardian pick him up. Now I'm calling for a doctor"

While Roy was making his phone call, Riza went to Ed and seeing him pale and sweat-drenched, making herself feel heated. She then took off his school uniform and change them with white t-shirt and navy blue shorts that she found when she dug through his schoolbag. After that, she went out of the office and back with a bowl of cold water and towel.

"What's that for?"

"To cool his head, sir. He seemed to be exhausted by the heat"

Soon the doctor came, and he proved that Riza's diagnosis is right.

"Dehydration, and fever. That's your son's disease, Mr. Mustang"

"Geez, thank God it's nothing too serious!" he gasped in relief

"I'll write prescriptions for the fever…and I suggest to put him in a cool place and change the cold towel gradually because the heat can give him headaches and stress. Also, do not make him wear clothes made of thick fabric for the whole summer, and give him lots of water and rests"

"Is that all?"

"…Actually, there's one more thing. Does he have insomnia or did he never take naps? Or maybe…does he did not rest enough?"

"Insomnia? No…as far as I know, he didn't have any trouble sleeping and he always took some naps. And he had enough rests too. Is there anything wrong, doc?"

"Well..it seems that your child becomes weak because he is using his energy too much recently. Is he taking activities that takes up stamina?"

"Yes he is an active child, but…I think it's because of alchemy"

"Alchemy? This boy is actually doing alchemy?"

"You may believe it or not, but yes, he knows some basic alchemy and recently he's been using his little knowledge too much that. Most of them are for mischief, actually"

"Well I am very fascinated because this is very remarkable. But, this also concerns me because the overuse of alchemy risks physical health – you of all people should know about this, Mr. Flame Alchemist. I suggest to take off the activity for two weeks and see his condition after"

"Thank you very much, doctor"

"You're welcome, Mr. Mustang. See you and your son in two weeks"

After the doctor left, Roy sat himself next to Ed on the couch and stroked through his son's golden hair. Looking concerned, he can't bare seeing him in pain like now. The smile and cheer from Ed had fade, and it broke Roy's heart.

"Ed, promise me you'll recover soon, pal. Your smile is my magic to cure my heart"

He kissed his son's sweat-drenched forehead which feels cold because the towel had just been removed. As he soaked the towel in the bowl, he could feel his ears catching Ed's voice, which is unusually spoken in a weak tone.

"…daddy?...mmmhhh…where…am I?

"You're in my office now, lil' pal"

"…daaad…"

"Yes, Ed?"

"…hoooottttt…."

Looking at Ed's face turning red and looking very sick, Roy knew that his son is suffering. Can't bare seeing him like this, he tried to think of a way to reduce the heat that his son feels.

"Ed, want me to wipe your body with cold towel? Maybe it can chill you a bit"

"…oookaayyy…"

Roy then took Ed's shirt off and started to wipe his little chest with cold towel. The chills that the little boy feel on his skin feels stinging and gave him shivers, but soon the stinging soothes and it reduces the heat and pain. It did not take long until he feel relaxed, and his face and skin tone started to look better. Riza, on the other hand, concerned both to her superior's son and to the piling paperwork on his desk.

"I'll do it, sir. So you can just do your…"

"No, Riza. I have to do this. I am his dad, and I have to take care of my son"

"But…"

"I know, I promised. But look, he's sick and he needs me. What can I do? I promise I'll take all the papers home and work over them today. Besides, I think I won't sleep tonight because I am going to watch him the whole night"

"….daaad…"

Roy's argument was cut off by Ed's small croak, and his face started to get paler before.

"Ed? Are you okay, pal?"

"…painfuuulllll…. daddyyyyy… it huuuurrrrttttsssss….."

"Painful?"

"…head… hurts… room… spinning…"

The temperature in the office had risen, and there is no other way than taking him home. Roy prepared his leave permission while Riza prepared the paperwork to be taken home. Ed seemed to be very clingy and urges to get off him, and this means that Roy can't drive home so Havoc was assigned to do so.

A day without Ed's smile seemed to feel longer for Roy, and now that he suffers dehydration and fever, distractions of Ed moaning and sweating can't be resisted. But, none of them will know that this leads to another drama in their life.

Roy was just back from the pharmacy to buy medicines from the prescription when he heard his son's wail echoing at the apartment corridor. He quickly rushed to to his door and barged in, finding Ed screaming at the top of his lungs on the sofa.

"Ed? Edward? Are you okay?" he quickly tossed the medicines aside and grasped Ed from the sofa. It seemed that he was having a bad dream.

"Ed? Ed, it's me! It's daddy Roy! What's wrong with you?"

Relieved to see his father's obsidian eyes, he stopped screaming and calmed down. As he started to breathe properly, Roy tensed down and stroked away the golden hair from his sweat-drenched forehead.

"…Mommy…"

"Eh?"

"…Daddy, where's mommy?"

Three seconds passed by before Roy realized what his son just asked.

"WHAT?"


	18. Chapter 18

Ed recovered faster than what they expected. By Monday, he is back to his own firework-like self but the doctor still concerned and he is forbidden to use alchemy for two weeks. Even though everything seems back to normal, both he and his father seemed to have kept something in distance.

It was Friday night. As usual, Riza came to Roy's apartment to cook dinner together. Hughes and Gracia will stop by later and they both will have their 'double date', that's what Hughes referred but both Roy and Riza refused that weekly dinner night to be called as a date of some sort, while blushes and smiles that are tried to be hidden are clearly exposed in each of their faces.

"Roy, that potato was supposed to be peeled, not to be stared at" she reminded, again for the third time. She just sighed, put the knife and the potato away from his hands, then dragged him to the couch. "Okay, what's wrong?" she asked. He tried to resist the stern but somehow concerned-look from his teacher's daughter, but she quickly cupped his face and the eyes were forced to met. Somehow her sharp hazel eyes always stopped him from lying.

"Riza, I…"

"Yes?"

"I…I've said something wrong to Ed"

"What did you said to him?"

"I told him that he have no mommy"

"WHAT? ROY, HOW COULD YOU SAID THAT TO HIM?" Even the calm and collected Riza would always got emotional when it comes to lil' Ed.

"Back…back when he was sick… He was crying, asking me where his mommy is. Well…he has none… And I was clueless what to say, so…"

Riza sighed, "You told him the truth"

"Yes. Since that, he seemed to kept a distance from me. Am I doing something wrong? I think he's mad at me because all along I've been lying to him. Well, we're all lying to him. I'm not his dad after all in the first place…"

She just sighed, and landed a quick kiss on his forehead

"You idiot"

And again, the eyes met. Both leaned forward, but suddenly Roy pulled back. It's very unusual for him to do so, making Riza a bit confused.

"Roy? What is…?"

"Riza, did you smell something?"

"Smell wha- OH MY GOD! THE STOVE!"

And they both ended up rushing back to the kitchen, finding that whatever they had cooked had turned into a total food fiasco. After staring into the mess that they made in the pot for a long time, they turned to each other and sighed, and started laughing while preparing to start over with the leftover ingredients. But before they finished cooking, Maes and Gracia already came.

"Hi there, guys! Hmm? Dinner's not ready yet?"

"Just wait a sec, Maes, Gracia! We're having a little problem with the first one so we gotta cook twice…it's almost done!"

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Sure, Gracia. Just, uh...get the plates ready!"

"Say...where's the little shrimp?"

"He's in his bedroom. Mind if you call him for dinner?"

"Sure thing, pal!" Maes replied, as he opened Edward's bedroom door and found the room was dark. Papers scribbled with childish drawings, crayons with various colors, tin toys and books were scattered everywhere and the boy himself was lying on his bed, sound asleep. He was hugging his beloved teddy that Maes remembered he bought with Roy a few years ago, and Ed was surprisingly sucking his thumb. He thought that a strong boy like Ed didn't do it anymore. Thinking that at this rate he won't be able to join the 'double date', he grabbed a blanket instead and spread it over the little body, not forgetting to give a goodnight kiss before he went out. But before he reached the door, he tripped over something known as a schoolbag. School supplies were scattered out, making the room even messier than before. He then leaned down to tidy it up a bit, but he found something interesting that makes him raised a smile on his lips.

"Hey Maes, where's Ed?"

"He's asleep. I think he can't join the dinner"

"Too bad…tonight we're cooking his favorite mushroom stew!"

"He must be tired of all playing in the park this afternoon"

"Hey, I found this in the lil' guy's schoolbag" he said, giving a red envelope.

"What's this? A letter to Santa?"

"No, read it"

"Ed's scribbles? Are you kidding? This is harder to decipher than hieroglyphs!"

"Roy, that actually reads 'for mommy'…" Gracia cut off

"Mommy? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it doesn't read 'daddy'. It's mommy"

"Right…so where did I suppose to send this letter to?"

"You'd better open it first"

"All right…I will" he said, opening the envelope carefully and unfolded the paper inside, letting everyone to see a picture of somewhat of a person in blonde hair, and writings in bold crayons, which means he was trying his best to write, but still difficult for Roy to read.

"Hmm…th…thank you…for…taking care of me…and…daddy…Roy…"

"And? What's that below?" Gracia asked, pointing her fingers to the writings below that Roy hasn't read. But instead of reading, Roy was blushing red like cherries.

"Roy? Hey, Roy!" Maes twitched one of his eyebrows, and waving his hands in front of his best friend's obsidian eyes.

"Huh…uh? What?"

"Roy! Snap out of it! What does Ed wrote?"

"…I…I love you…. mommy Riza… love, Edward"

It only took three seconds before Maes and Gracia burst out laughing and made Roy and Riza blush.

"Hey, hey! It's not funny!"

"It isn't, Roy! It's cute…and romantic!"

"Awww…your son is picking you a wife! So you both should get mar-OWW! Hey, stop hitting me with that spatula! Oww! Roy! Hey! Hey! Riza, stop your husb-OWW! Why are you hitting me too! Ouch, ouch! Oooowww! Gracia! Gracia! Help!"

And since that day, Ed never calls his father's female subordinate "Auntie Riza" or "Miss Riza". But "Mommy Riza", which leads to some misunderstanding to people in the HQ for quite a long time. Even though he managed to understand that Riza isn't his mom, he still calls her "Mommy Riza".

Another two years just passed. Ed almost graduated kindergarten, and soon he will go to elementary school. Roy felt as if it was just yesterday when he hold his son's hand and went through the school gate together with rushed feelings. Now Ed is getting better when dressing by himself that he almost never have his dad to help him again – but he still have to work on the neckties and the shoelaces.

"Drama?"

"Yes, daddy Roy! My class is going to perform a drama for the graduation night! It's called…uh…See…um…Cinderella!"

It was Friday night, and Roy had to work late due to the stacking paperwork. He can't leave him alone at home, nor did he have somebody to drop Ed to. He doesn't like bothering the neighbors or Gracia, and Hughes is also working late. Seemed that the whole department in the HQ's going to be busy tonight. Plus, Ed doesn't like it when he had to be left alone all night without Roy.

At coffee break before the storm of work lasts until morning, Hughes asked him about school and Ed explained to them that he's going to have a his first performance.

"Cinderella? What's your part then, Ed?" Brosch asked, giving him a cup of hot chocolate. Even though he hates milk, hot chocolate has been his favorite drinks ever since he ever tasted it.

"Umm… the teacher says I'm playing as the prince!"

They're not being too surprised, seeing that Ed's appearance does look like princes like they see in fairytales and storybooks. Golden bangs and big round eyes, and a charming smile that he got from his dad.

"Wow, are you sure you're confident enough to perform as a prince, Ed?" Havoc asked, chewing his cigarette without lighting it. No military personnel dare to smoke near Ed because if they did, the flame alchemist will snap his deadly fingers and burn their cigs into ashes.

"Well yes I'm sure! Daddy Roy always taught me never to be shy to try something new!"

"Okay, okay little actor. Now can you do us a little acting here? We want to see!" Havoc added again, followed by cheers and claps by the other subordinates of his father. Since Roy and Riza went out for an annual gathering at the Fuhrer's residence, paperwork had been abandoned for a while and they decided to play around with Ed instead before they suffer under the threat of the famous Hawkeye's sharp aim.

"Okay! I will show you!" He said proudly, running into the locker room and grabbed one of Roy's spare uniforms and wears it. Of course it oversized, and the waist cloak fell to the floor. Everyone giggled, seeing Ed walking like a soldier towards his father's desk with an oversized costume. Hughes, of course, didn't forget his trusty camera. They laughed when Ed almost tripped when he climbed to his dad's chair and that he is so small that they cannot see him from behind their superior's desk. Ed then coughed twice, and deepened his voice, implementing his dad.

"I have a lot of paperwork to do today and I am lazy, but if I don't do it Hawkeye will shoot me! Hey, Havoc! Don't smoke near my son or I will blow your cigarette into ashes and burn your ass! And get me more coffee!" He banged on the table like his dad always did and make everyone fell on their knees and laughed. He implemented his dad so good that they almost thought that it was the lieutenant colonel shrinking and wearing a golden wig. They started rolling on the floor like a dog, still laughing out loud when he managed to climb to the table and copied his dad's famous quote with a funny pose.

"When I become Fuhrer…All the woman in the military will be required to wear…TINY MINISKIRTS!_" _

And they all swore that they seen hallucination of sparkles flying all around Ed. The crowd roared and cheered, along with laughter. The fun ends when the superiors were back and they set their asses off the mailroom and went straight to their desks. Ed, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully on the sofa, still wearing his dad's uniform.

"Hey, Maes…"

"Yeah, Roy?"

"I order you to take a picture of him, and get me copies of it and those photos you took the hour when I was gone"

"Oooh, daddy asked Mr. Paparazzo some pictures. What's in it for me?"

"A glass of scotch at our favorite bar"

"Deal!"


	19. Chapter 19

Since that day, Ed was practicing for the drama almost everywhere – on the streets, in the office, even at home. Even though sometimes he finds it annoying or kind of embarrassing, he acts really well that Roy have to admit that either his son is a real prince charming who stepped out of a fairy tale book or he's really good in acting.

A week before the performance, Ed came to Riza and tugged on her waist cloak, his face seemed to be as if he wanted to beg for another chocolate or candy.

"Go on, Ed. Ask her" Roy said, encouraging his son from behind the desk.

"What is it, lil' prince?" Riza asked, replying to his tug. She crouched down and look straight into Ed's eyes.

"Umm…next week is my drama night sooo…."

Ed tapped his feet and put his hands on his back. From his gestures, she knew that he's nervous. She wonders what is it that he wanted to ask from her that he gets nervous? Ed is sure growing up, she thought.

"So?"

"Will…will you come to my performance with daddy Roy, please?" He asked, shoving the ticket to her hands. Riza received the piece of ticket, smiling gently.

"Um…sure. But why me?"

"Be…because each student is given two tickets for the performance! The blue one is for daddies and the pink one is for mommies. Well…well…daddy Roy needs a date! So…soo…will you come?"

Ed didn't pay attention to Roy and Riza's blushing face. They were surprised hearing Ed using the word 'date'. He must've learned it from Hughes, they thought. Riza then smiled, and nodded. The crowd cheered, and Hughes announced that this weekend Roy and Riza is officially on date - which ends up him being hit by paperclips by his best friend.

And so, that's how they both ended up sitting together in the school multi-purpose hall this week, among the other parents watching their children having their first drama night. Between intervals, Roy and Riza's sharp ears were catching mothers discussing about the little prince from kindergarten class's Cinderella and his beautiful golden hair and eyes. Roy can't help but smile – being proud that his son becomes the center of attention. After the successful drama – which most audiences go "Aaaaawwwww" when Ed kissed the princess' cheek (even though the teacher already says "pretend", but he just do it) and when he bows and waves while he shows his deadly uber cute smile at the curtain call. Then the teachers and the principal called the children one by one to the stage to receive a graduation certificate and medal. Roy didn't forget to borrow his friend's camera, and took snapshots of his son on stage as if he's a paparazzi and Ed is a Broadway boy. After the graduation ceremony, parents flock out of the hall, picking up their children that flock out of the backstage door, still on their stage attires.

"DADDY ROY! MOMMY RIZA!"

Ed jumped out of the crowd, and into his father's arms. Roy grabbed him up and both he and Riza kissed his cheeks.

"Hey there, lil' prince! Your performance is really great! We're very proud of you!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really! Now come on big boy, let's get ourselves some dinner!"

"YAY!"

Ed cheered as Roy put him on his shoulders, which makes people stare at him in amazement. Some recognized Roy as the flame alchemist, and he do realized that a lot of girls looked envious to Riza, which they probably assumed as his mom due to the hair. But well, who cares?

"Hey Roy, Roy! Over here!"

A woman waves to Roy between the crowds, and Roy waved back when he recognized them. It's Jamie and her son Christopher, and other parents that he knew were with them too.

"Hey guys" Roy greeted them, Riza following at the back

"Hi, Roy! We're planning to go to the pizza parlor together! You wanna come with us?"

"Sure, we're just going to have dinner too. Oh, by the way guys, this is Riza, my sub…"

"Girlfriend!" Ed added

"ED!" Roy and Riza hissed, blushing. Ed just giggled, followed by the others who were watching.

"Yes, she's my girlfriend…and…keep this as a secret please? You guys sure know about this damn fraternization rules but come on, we just love each other!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure Roy, we'll keep this little military love a secret. Besides, Ed sure needs a mommy!" his friend Derry replied, and they all burst out laughing, ignoring Riza being fumed and blushing even more.

"Oh come on, guys! She's just way too young to even talk about marriage! I won't propose a teenage girl just yet unless I want to be chased by some rabid social workers. Gonna wait 'till she's 20 and lesse what happened!"

While the chitchat is going on, a shorthaired woman wearing an expensive-looking dress came to them with a little boy wearing black hoodies, which seemed to be his son trailing behind her, holding her hand.

"Hello there, Mr. Mustang and Edward" she greeted. Roy looked at her, slightly confused.

"Um, hi? Have we met before?"

"Oh, sorry…I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lyla Heidreich and this is my son. He just moved to this school a few months ago and he's in a different class, so your son might not recognize him, and I always get a chaperone to pick him up so we never met before"

"Nice to meet you, Mrs, Heidreich" Roy said, shaking her hand.

_Heidreich? I think I've heard it before…_

"By the way, Mr. Mustang…I was really stunned by your son's performance tonight. He's got some natural talent there. I suggest you to take him to acting school or some sort. And my, he is very gorgeous looking! I wonder how did he got such hair and eye color…it's very rare!"

_Hey, is it me or did I catch something wrong with her? I'm not self-assuming and this is our first meeting, but…_

"Yeah, thanks for the praise and suggestion too, Mrs. Heidreich. Look, I…"

"Oh yes, my son haven't introduced himself to you. Come on, sweetie. Introduce yourself" Lyla then pushed his son lightly to his front. When the boy removed his hoods, uncovering his face, Roy felt as if a jolt of thunder stabbing his heart, for he sees a boy with a face almost, almost identical with someone he knew as his son Edward Mustang.

"Hello there, I'm Alphonse. Alphonse Heidreich"

His silver eyes then met with the pair of golden eyes, who stared back at him as if he sees his own reflection in the mirror for the first time. Alphonse then smiled, but Ed showed no expression. Lyla then said goodbye, and they left. But questions still bugs the flame alchemist's mind.

After the dinner together at pizza parlor and took Riza home, he rushed to his own home, tucked Ed to bed, and into the study. He opened the old file again and swamped himself with papers and books regarding to his research the whole night. One by one, he encoded the messages in the book, and by the time when the sun was up and the room had turned bright from the sunlight that managed to get his way through the windows and curtains, he found himself lying on the floor. Papers and books scattered everywhere, together with pens and inkbottles.

_That's right…that's right…_

_Something's bad going to happen…_

_But one thing for sure…_

When he almost closed his eyes due to the tiredness he had, the door suddenly opened and Riza barged in, being shocked seeing her superior's study turned into somewhat that we call a twilight zone. The papers scattered everywhere covering the whole floor just reminds her about the study in that old house where they found Ed.

"Sir? What the hell is wrong with you? Hurry up and get dressed! You got a job to do…"

"Riza…"

"Yes, sir?"

"The transmutation in this book…isn't for transmuting a child"

"So…so this is just another wild goose chase of human transmutation theory? Or did we grab the wrong book from Resembool?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"It's a theory for transmuting… Twins"


	20. Chapter 20

Summer has just begun. Ed's busy playing with his friends each and every day, while Roy was stormed by paperwork. He was planning to leave for a four-week vacation at the end of the month and took Ed to his family's house near the beach in West City. Beach is a place that they both love. Ed loves the waves and the sand; Roy loves the chicks in bikini and hot summer romance. This year, he planned to teach Ed how to surf. But before that, he had to finish all his paperwork that he's going to leave for four weeks, plus this is the year that the Fuhrer said he will evaluate whether Ed is capable to live with Roy or not. And he still can't forget when he met Alphonse Heidreich, and the conclusion that the transmutation is for transmuting twins.

"Well, it is both possible that Alphonse is the actual twin brother of Edward, and that they're exactly look alike is a coincidence" Hughes said, sipping his glass of red wine at Mustang's apartment one Saturday afternoon.

"Have you checked Lyla Heidreich's files, Maes?"

"Yeah…checked it here and there, and all I find for now is that she's a socialite from Drachma. Nothing odd in her records except that years ago she's married to a Drachman millionaire named William Heidreich and moved to Amestris soon after. It's a bit difficult because I have to check through the international affairs for them"

"Well you don't have to push yourself to find the information…I mean no matter where Ed come from, well…he is still going to be my son. And investigating through the international affairs takes a lot of risk, Maes. If the higher-ups knew, you're gonna be a dead meat for sure"

"Fine, fine! But I'll still investigate this as far as I can go. Anyways…Where's Ed?"

"Out with his gang…playing baseball at the park. It's almost five, he'll go home soon. I made a rule that he has to go home by five or he won't get any chocolate for a week"

"It seems like yesterday I see him trailing you to the office everyday…now he's able to go out by himself. You sure he's safe?"

"Yeah, he's safe. He's a smart boy. I told him not to talk to strangers and when he's lost or needs help, go and ask somebody wearing the same uniform as me"

Just after Roy finished his sentence, they heard the sound of pacing little footsteps echoing at the corridor outside and soon followed by the sound of the opening door.

"DADDY ROY! I'M HOME!"

"Welcome ho- WHAAAAAT?"

How could Roy not scream, seeing his son covered in mud from top to bottom. His baseball gloves and bat were all dirty. When Hughes peeked out to the corridor, he could see clear the muddy footprints trailing from the stairs to the door. Ed was just standing there, smiling proudly to his father and his uncle.

"Edward, are you really playing baseball in the park?"

"Yeeeeessss" He said happily, in a mischievous tone

"What kind of baseball? Are you playing in the jungle or something?"

"Noooooooo"

"Then where?"

"SWAMP!"

Both Roy and Hughes turned to each other then laughed out really loud. How could they play baseball in a swamp? Ed was just staring at them, scratching his head. What are they laughing about? I'm just telling the truth, he thought.

"Oh well, Roy… I have to go now! Good luck cleaning up and seeya on Monday, pal!" Hughes tapped his bestfriend's back as usual then left, still giggling in the corridor. Roy then closed the door, smiled at Ed as sweet as he could, then suddenly screamed,

"BATH TIME, LITTLE SHRIMP!"

Ed then ran around the livingroom, Roy chased him. Sure, the mud is dripping everywhere and most of the furniture is white, but Ed is just too fast to be caught.

"You're all dirty, Ed! Stop running around and get into the bathroom!"

"No! I don't want to! Ahahahhahaha!"

"Will you just stop right there, shrimp?"

"I'M NOT A LITTLE…WOOOAAAAAHHH!"

"GOTCHA!"

Roy managed to get his arms wrapped around his son's waist and fell because Ed is squirming around and the mud makes the floor slippery. He then stood up, dragged Ed to the bathroom and locked the door.

"Hey, dad?" Ed suddenly asked from the tub, still playing his boat and rubber ducks. Roy himself was in the shower, cleaning all the mud on his body after another episode of cat-and-mouse game in the house.

"Yeah? What is it?" Roy replied, his voice got a bit shaky because he was wiping his face under the spray of water.

"Do I have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. Why?" _Is it because he saw that Alphonse boy? _Roy thought

"Well…can I have one?"

That simple question makes Roy dropped his shampoo bottle.

"Um…can you repeat that question again, Edward?"

"Can I have a little brother or sister?"

WHAM!

And Roy Mustang successfully fell in the bathroom because the shampoo had spilled everywhere and made the floor slippery. He then gripped a part of the towel rack, trying to stand up while at the same time also trying to answer his son's question.

"W-why did you ask that? D-did you even know where do babies come from?"

"No. Where do babies come from, dad?"

Another stupidity of Roy Mustang. He remembered what his senior told him back at the military academy, questions are supposed to be replied with answers, not another question. He was being cynical and thought that the senior was just trying to boss around, but now it seemed that the senior's right.

"I-I'll explain it to you later. Now… why did you ask for a sibling?"

"Well, Christopher told me that when he got no friend coming over to his house or when he's not playing with us, he always play with his little brother! And he seemed to be really happy with his little brother even though he didn't have a lot of toys like me! I got lots of toys to play with, but when you're working or when nobody's playing with me, I feel lonely…"

Roy sighed, and closed the shower tap. He then grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, then went to Ed to help him get out of the tub and unplugged the cog so the water could flow down, wrapped his son's body with towel and wiped it quick so he won't feel cold for too long. Even though Ed always hated baths, what he loved the most is when Roy scrubs his wet hair with towel. It feels rough and sometimes Roy squished his hair too hard that it turns out like a lion's mane after. Ed just love the feeling, and of course, his father's gentle smile.

After they changed into their pajamas, Roy went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, while Ed chose to stay at the living room because he always hated the smell of coffee. He was reading a new alchemy book that his father bought for him. He then flapped a section that interested him with no reason, and somehow gave him a shiver on his back.

"_Alchemy Usage and Types Chapter 10: Human Transmutation_

_Human Transmutation is the biggest taboo in alchemy. The laws of the state banned the practice of human transmutation itself since 1871. It is stated within the laws of alchemy of Amestris that human transmutation was banned due to the risks of the transmutation itself, and it is being claimed as an extremely absurd act by several religions, especially Ishbala, which is worshipped by the majority of people in Ishbal Regions in the East. But knowing that alchemists do not believe in any kind of religion or God, some still managed to break the rules and made attempts of human transmutations…"_

"EDWARD ELRIC MUSTANG!"

Surprised by his father's voice, Ed dropped the book away unconsciously and let out a small shriek.

"EEP! NO DAD I DID NOT EAT YOUR COOKIES SECRETLY AGAIN!"

Roy twitched one of his eyebrows. _Cookies?_

"W-what is it, Dad?"

"I was calling you and asking whether you want hot choco or not but you didn't reply at all! Seriously, Ed…what is it did you read about that your soul become like sucked into the book?" Roy sighed, as he grabbed the book from the floor and read the texts. After a few moments, he sighed and looked up to Ed's face

"Hmm…so you were reading about human transmutation…" Roy said, still flapping the pages.

"I…I was just reading it! I didn't want to do it!"

"I know you won't, Ed" Roy replied again, this time patting his son's head.

"But tell me, what makes you interested with human transmutation?"

"W-well…I…I thought you could transmute me a little brother or sister…but…now I know you can't because it is not allowed…"

Roy sighed again. He then dropped himself on the sofa and hugged Ed tight to his chest. Ed snuggled to Roy closely and made himself comfortable

"Dad…"

"Hmm?"

"If we're not allowed to transmute a human, then where do babies come from? I always thought that they came from alchemy…"

_THAT question again? _Roy thought. But as a wise parent, he decided to answer as simple as possible in order to avoid the talking about sex. Ed is just too young know that kind of stuff.

"Here, lil' shrimp…one thing you have to know, is that in order to make a baby…well…we…we need a mommy"

"What about mommy Riza?"

_WHAT? God, you MOCKED me. No, Ed's too damn genius_

"N-no…it's…uh….it's just not the time…yet"

"Then when?"

"Ehh…someday"

Soon enough, Ed fell asleep on his father's chest. Roy himself didn't really care about the weight because he was busy reading the newest suspense novel he just bought yesterday that was written by his favorite author, and that he is used to Ed's weight from all that long walk (or sometimes runs when it's raining) from the apartment to the HQ with lil' Ed clutching on his back years ago. Roy was about to move him to bed when he heard the phone rang.

"Hello, Roy Mustang speaking"

"Good evening there, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang!"

"F-FUHRER KING BRADLEY?"

_THE FUHRER? CALLING ME PERSONALLY THIS LATE? _

"Yes, it is I, Fuhrer Bradley speaking. Am I calling too late, Mustang?"

"N-no! Not at all, sir! I am ready to receive any urgent orders any hour!"

If it were a prank call or any other person calling that late, Roy would've cuss with all those dirty words that exists in the English dictionary and slammed the phone. But now, it's the man that the whole military answers to who calls him personally.

"Well then…how's your son Edward, then?"

"Edward? He's just fine, sir. He's asleep now"

"Hmm... As far as I remember, we had a deal five years ago. Isn't that right, Mustang?"

"Yes, sir…that is true"

"Well…I think it's about time to finally test Edward. Can you bring him on Monday to my office for his alchemy evaluation test?"

_Test? On Monday?_

"Hello, Mustang? Are you still listening there?"

"Y-YES! I AM LISTENING, SIR!"

"Well, can you bring Edward to my office on Monday, then?"

"…Certainly, sir…"

And after a few more words, Roy finally put the phone back on its cradle. He sighed, and went back to the sofa to put Ed to his bed, kissed him goodnight, then went back to his own bed and go to sleep.

_Will tomorrow be my last day with Edward?_


	21. Chapter 21

It's seven in the morning, and Ed was just awake. He didn't know why he woke up that early, and he couldn't go back to sleep. So he decided to jump out of bed and went to the kitchen to steal some cookies again, but instead he met his father, reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee on his other hand. Just as Ed about to walk to him, Roy saw Ed and put down his mug.

"Morning, goldilocks"

"Morning, daddy…hey, wait! Why did you call me goldilocks? It's sissy!" Ed protested, as he ran to Roy and jumped to his laps. Roy turned his head down and kissed his son's forehead before continuing to talk.

"Well your hair's getting long now, son. People often mistook you as a girl. I think you have to go for a haircut soon" Roy let his fingers went through the golden strands of his son's hair, and kissed his forehead again.

"No! I don't want to cut my hair…I hate haircuts!"

"Why did you hate it? It doesn't hurt like a trip to the dentist"

"I…I just hate it! I don't wanna to cut my hair! And I hate dentists too!"

Roy sighed. "Oh well, up to you" then he took another sip of his coffee, then continue reading.

Ed then climbed onto the table and grabbed the jar of cookies, then stuffed them into his mouth. He thought Roy would scold him because he hadn't eaten breakfast yet but he didn't do anything. He continued reading even though Ed was really sure that his father sees him and the cookies in his mouth. When Ed moved closer, he saw thick gray marks below his father's eyes. And his father's eyes were a bit red. Was he crying? When Roy stood up to make some more coffee, Ed jumped down and suddenly clinging onto his father's legs.

"What is it, shrimp?"

"Daddy Roy, are you sad about something?"

"N-no…nothing for you to be worried about, Ed. I just…I just can't sleep last night"

"But why did you look sad?"

"W-well…it…it's something that you won't understand, Ed. But thanks for worrying about me, I'm okay"

Ed knew that Roy wouldn't say it no matter how much he begged when it came to the part 'something that you won't understand'. But it doesn't mean that Ed's going to let him like that all day. Ed released his grip, ran to his bedroom and went back with a piece of paper, a set of crayons and a lump of green clay. He put them down on the table and grabbed a purple crayon. He then carefully draws a transmutation circle on the paper, put the clay on the middle and started the transmutation. Roy was just done making another cup of coffee when he saw the blue lights of the reaction, and wonders what kind of thing his son would transmute in this early morning. He walked towards the table, but Ed already grabbed whatever he had transmuted from the table and went to him.

"Here, dad! I transmuted this for you!" Ed said, smiling wide with all of his teeth shown, putting the transmuted object in his palms onto his father's. Roy opened his

"A four-leaf clover?"

"Yep! Aunt Gracia told me that it would bring good luck and make people smile! I…I heard from Havoc-niisan that recently you're having a lot of work and I know you must be tired...but you still teach me alchemy and take good care of me! So…so I think I should give you something that will make you happy in return! That's equivalent exchange, right?"

_He worried me that much? _

"Well, thanks! I'm going to keep this in my pocket, okay? Hope this'll bring good luck for me, lil' shrimp!" Roy then smiled, and Ed smiled back.

"Anyways…the weather forecast says that there'll be no rain today" Roy said, smirking to Ed.

"So?"

"Well, how about if we go out to the lake for a picnic today? Just you and me"

"Picnic? YAY!" Edward cheered and rushed to his bedroom.

_Oh well, just in case if this becomes the last day we spent together…_

Roy might not be ready, but Monday morning already came. He woke up at six and get dressed, then went to Ed's room to wake him up and helped him dress. They fix a quick breakfast then got on the carpool to the HQ. Ed, feeling a little tired after their trip to the lake yesterday, fell asleep on his father's laps. Roy was staring blankly at the window; watching sceneries of Central City in the morning go by. His face was tense, feeling nervous about the test. Ed didn't know about this for sure, because Roy didn't want to make him confused and being nervous that he cannot perform alchemy at all in front of the Fuhrer.

"Roy, did something happened?" Maes asked. He was watching Roy through the glass from the front seat. Roy turned his face to the front, and sighed.

"Hey Maes, remember when we kidnapped this little guy from the lab?"

"Uh-huh…why?"

"Today is the day when I have to fulfill my promise to His Excellency"

Maes and Havoc turned their faces to the backseat, shocked.

"Havoc! Focus to the front when you're driving!" Roy scolded. Havoc quickly turned his face to the front again and focused on the road. Maes turned his head down, staring at the face of the sleeping innocent child.

"Is…is he ready?"

"Well, he knows basic alchemy now at least. Maybe he's not a top-notch, but for a kid his age he's too good to be true"

"If he really becomes a state alchemist when he's all grown-up, it'll be like father like son, alchemy legends of Amestris!"

"Maes, you know I don't want him to become a state alchemist! Okay he can be an alchemist, but surely not becoming a military dog"

"Yeah, yeah, I know…you just don't want him to end up in a place like Ishbal"

After that, the rest of the trip to Central HQ becomes uncomfortably quiet.

It's been a long time since they saw the infamous chibi Mustang in the HQ. As Roy walked through the corridors with Ed on his arms, people stopped by to say hi to Ed or to pinch his cheeks. Ed himself was still woozy, half-asleep and hugging his favorite teddy bear tight. He always loved it when he got to go to the HQ with his father, but somehow he got a weird feeling today.

Roy entered his office, greeting his subordinates and put Ed on the sofa. Just after he put away his coat, the phone rings. Riza answers the call, and told her superior that the Fuhrer wanted to see Ed immediately. Roy sighed, grabbed Ed back and walked out to the Fuhrer's office.

"Daddy, where are we going?" Ed asked

"To the Fuhrer's office. He wants to see you" he said, still pacing to the Fuhrer's office.

"Who?"

"The Fuhrer"

"You mean the pirate?"

"Yes, but do not call him pirate. Call him Fuhrer King Bradley, Ed. Show your respects"

"Foo-ler? King Bladrey?"

"Not fooler, Fuhrer!"

"Fyoo-ler?"

"Almost, Ed. Fuhrer"

"Fyoo-rer?"

"Yes! That's it! Fuhrer King Bradley!"

"Fuhrer King Bladrey?"

"No, it's Bradley! Braaad-ley!"

"Blaaaad-rey?"

"No! Not Blad, Ed! Brad! Brad-ley!"

"Uuumm…B-brad…rey?"

"Not 'rey' but 'ley!' Brad-ley, see?"

"Uuumm….B-brad…lee…uhhh…Brad...ley?"

Five minutes after walking through the corridors and stairs of Grand Central HQ while practicing how to pronounce "King Bradley" properly, they arrived in front of the door of the highness's office. Roy put Ed down and he gussied up his son as tidy as possible, and brushed his golden hair fast with his fingers. He then kneeled down and put his hands on his son's tiny shoulders.

"Okay, now when we go in there, I want you to be a good boy and be polite to the Fuhrer, and do what he told you to do. Promise me you'll behave and I'll buy you the giant chocolate sundae at Madame Snow's after office hours ends"

"Really?"

"Really"

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now let's go in, shall we?"

Roy gave a kiss on his son's forehead and tapped on his shoulders twice, before standing up and grabbed his hand. Then, he knocked on the big white marble door and waited until the secretary opened the door for them. To tell the truth, Ed was feeling nervous and scared. He never liked meeting with the guy with eye patch that somehow makes him shiver even though he didn't believe in monsters under beds or even ghosts anymore. But for now, he has to be brave because daddy Roy told him to behave and do what the pirate – or Fuhrer told him to do. He could just cry and run away, but seeing his father being a bit more nervous than usual, Ed somehow knew that they both would be in big trouble if he didn't behave.

After two minutes of waiting, the door opened, revealing the Fuhrer's secretary who let them in. As they feel the scent of her lily perfume entering their noses, Ed gazed in amazement to the lady, which somehow he liked so much. He blushed and kept his golden eyes locked on her gentle face.

"Juliet…Douglas" he read out the nametag pinned on her chest. The lady smiled, and bowed to see the young boy more closely. "That's right, boy. Are you reading my nametag?" he nodded shyly, and quickly stepped back to hid behind his father's waist cloak. "Oh, your son is a shy one, I see. But I believe he is very smart, for the Fuhrer wants to see him and his alchemy personally" Roy smiled, "It's not really his nature to be shy. I guess he is just nervous to meet the Fuhrer. Edward, where are your manners? What did I tell you about being nice to the ladies? Now, be nice to Ms. Douglas and introduce yourself properly." Reluctantly, he stepped away from his father and moved himself forward towards her and raised his hand.

"My name is Edward Mustang. Nice to meet you, Ms. Douglas"

She shook his hand and smiled "Nice to meet you too, Edward" he somehow can't stand her smile that makes his heart beats fast, so he ran back to his father and hid behind his waist cloak again. She giggled along with Roy, but then stopped soon after he felt that Ed is gripping his waist cloak too tight that it almost fell off its latch.

"Ed, stop it! You're going to pull off my waist cloak!" Roy took his son's hands away from his waist cloak and pulled him forward to his side. Ed obeyed, but he looked down to the floor with a blushing face.


	22. Chapter 22

"Well, I guess we shall meet his Excellency now, shall we?" Roy nodded, and Douglas led them both to another big marble door beyond the secretary room. She tapped the golden-coated knocker twice, then after hearing a slight "come in" voice from the Fuhrer, she opened the door.

The office was surprisingly huge, with large bookshelves and fireplace and a really grand interior. The floor was covered with red carpet; the room was decorated with fine furniture. Everything was simply marvelous – not really surprising for an office of a person that the entire country answers to. The Fuhrer himself was sitting on his desk – a fine teak desk that looked very expensive. As Douglas lead Roy and Ed to the couch and coffee table near the fireplace, He saw the Fuhrer stood up, approaching them. As he came closer, Roy felt that his son's grip was getting harder. He wanted to calm him down, but there is no time. The Fuhrer was getting closer towards them and he have to salute to show his respect.

"Fuhrer Bradley, I brought my son upon you as your order, sir"

"At ease, Mustang. You don't have to be so formal right now"

Roy put his hand down, watching the Fuhrer sat on his couch.

"Mustang, can you leave now? I believe you still have some paperwork to finish"

"Huh? But…"

"Leave. I want this alchemy test to be personal between me and Edward himself"

He looked on his son's face, which is now covered with fear and nervousness. He can't bear leaving his son like that. But seeing the Fuhrer's stern face, he knew that he have no mercy and his mind wouldn't change. He must leave his son alone.

"O-okay…I will leave you with the Fuhrer now, Ed…" he said, waving his hand and walked towards the door. But Ed ran to him and jumped into to his arms, gripping hard like he never hugged his father before.

"No! Don't go, daddy! Don't go!"

"Ed, it's just for a while. I will be back after you're finished, okay?"

"No! I want you to stay! I don't want to be left alone with the pirate!"

"Edward, come on! I gotta work now, lil' buddy!"

"Nooooo! Don't go! Don't go! Don't go!"

He can feel his son is about to cry. It'll make a great fuss in the Fuhrer's office if he did. So, he kneeled down and cupped his son's face, then forced their eyes to meet – something that he always did to stop Ed from crying. As he saw his own reflection on the frightened golden eyes, more guilt attacked his heart. But he kept himself calm, and after a sigh, he started to speak.

"Edward, listen to me. I have to work. You stay here with the Fuhrer, and if you make the Fuhrer happy, next week I will take you to grandma and grandpa's house until your summer vacation ends"

"At the beach in West City?"

"Sure. Where else?"

"But…how to make the Fuhrer happy?"

"Perform your alchemy. After all, alchemy is a magic circle that brings happiness to everyone. Be a good boy and do whatever he told you to do, okay?"

"Okay! I'll do my best! Daddy, you too, do your best at your job!"

Roy sighed in relief, seeing that his son didn't look so nervous anymore.

"I will. Bye for now, shrimp"

Roy kissed his son's forehead and ruffles his golden hair, before he stood up and went out. The door slammed hard, soon followed by the sound of footsteps that were getting faded.

"Sit down, Edward" The Fuhrer said. Ed turned back to the Fuhrer, then to the sofa across the Fuhrer. He then climbed onto the sofa and sit politely, or that's what Riza told him the proper way to sit.

"Do you know why you were sent here, young man?"

Edward shook his head "No, sir. My father only said to me that I have to perform my alchemy in front of you"

"Very well, then! You have good manners for a boy your age. Who taught you?"

"Mom-uh…Lieutenant Hawkeye, sir"

"Hmm…all right, can you perform your alchemy for me?"

"O-okay…"

The Fuhrer shoved a pen and a piece of paper. Ed jumped off from the sofa then kneeled down on the coffee table to draw a transmutation circle. While drawing, the Fuhrer kept an eye on him.

_What Envy and Sloth reported to me wasn't a lie after all… This boy is really talented. That speed and accuracy of drawing the transmutation circle was far greater than any state alchemists in Amestris! I guess Hohenheim's blood really rushed through his veins…putting him under Mustang's wing was truly a good decision. _

After a few moments, Ed put the pen away, then placed both of his hands on the transmutation circle then pressed it hard until a spark of alchemic reaction came. Ed kept his hands on the circle, while the Fuhrer kept watching. After a while, he put his hands away from the paper and revealed an origami tulip. He smiled nervously, seeing the Fuhrer looking sternly towards his creation. When he looked up, he couldn't help letting out a small "eep!" out of his mouth. The Fuhrer smiled, and then lay back on his sofa.

"Very good. I'm happy with the result, Edward. Thank you"

Edward sighed in relief, smiling. Now he can go to the beach with his dad and meet grandpa and grandma!

"Oh, by the way…do you like candies?" The Fuhrer opened his palm, revealing small bright red colored candies.

"No thanks, sir. Lieutenant Hawkeye said that I can't have too many of them"

"Take one, just one. I won't say anything to her"

"Umm…"

"Don't be shy, Edward. Take one"

Ed swore that he saw the candies _glowing._ Of course no one would believe him, but they are. Reluctantly, he reached out his small hands to grab one of the candies. His fingers were getting closer to them, but he didn't want to eat it. He felt that something bad would happen if he dares to eat it, like Lieutenant Hawkeye will shoot him or Daddy Roy will be angry for being impolite. But he remembered that his daddy told him to do whatever the Fuhrer had told him to do, so he obeyed. Now his hands were close enough to the candies that he can feel them on his fingertips. Just as he's about to grasp them to his palm…

"FATHER!"

The big marble door opened wide, revealing a young black-haired boy wearing a pale green suit and blue shorts. The sound of the door had surprised Ed that now the candies were all scattered on the floor.

_Crap. _

"Selim, you know you're not supposed to bother me in my working hours"

"But father, I want to see the little alchemist you told me about!"

Selim looked around for a while, until he spotted a young golden-haired boy picking up the scattered candies on the floor.

"Father, is that the little alchemist?" he asked, pointing to Ed. The word 'little' made Edward twitch. Although he is saved by whoever it was who opened the door, he still didn't like being called small.

"Yes, Selim. He is. Edward, put the candies away. I will call someone else to clean it up. This is Selim, my son"

Ed stood up and put the candies he gathered on the coffee table, then walked towards Selim and shoved his right hand.

"Edward Mustang"

Selim smiled and shook his hand. "Selim Bradley. I hope we can be good friends"

"Me too"

"Oh yes…by the way, shouldn't you go back to your father's office by now, Edward?" The Fuhrer reminded.

"Um…yes, sir!"

"Father! Can I come with him?"

"Sure, but don't go outside the HQ building without my permission!"

"Okay, father!"

Ed bowed to the Fuhrer then went out of the room with Selim who insisted to hold hands. As they walked through the long corridors of Grand Central HQ, Ed found the Fuhrer's son very talkative. He keeps asking questions about him and his alchemy, and sometimes talking about himself. Ed only spoke in adequate. The voice of two little boys echoed in the corridors until they reached Colonel Mustang's office door. Ed opened the door, only to see that the room was empty. It seemed that Roy and his units were out.

"Hey, how about if we go play at the field? We can borrow Havoc-niisan's ball!" Ed said, grabbing Havoc's ball from below the desk. Selim nodded, and soon the long corridors of Grand Central HQ were filled with the sound of children's laughter and the tap-tap voice of children's shoes touching the marble floor. At the field, the two were playing happily and it doesn't even take half an hour to get themselves in a mess. Their clothes were covered with dirt and grass. Selim got his suit thrown away, along with Edward's jacket. Soon enough, the game turned into a tickling contest.

"Edward!"

Roy called out from the edge of the field. Ed quickly ran to his father and jumped into his arms. Roy lifted him up and kissed his forehead. He knew that his son loved it when he did that.

"So? How's the meeting with the Fuhrer, sport?"

"I behaved and he seemed happy! I also performed my alchemy and he offered me some glowing candies but before I tasted it I dropped it because suddenly Selim came! And then we went to your office but nobody was there so we play ball instead!"

"Selim?"

"Yes, Selim! The Fuhrer's son!"

Roy saw the black-haired boy approaching them as he put his son on the ground. He knew that boy, of course. He had seen him before in several national celebrations where the Fuhrer gave speeches and the boy usually stood next to the first lady.

"Are you…The Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang?" Selim asked shyly

"Uh…yes I am"

"WOW! COOOOOOL! Edward, your dad is so cool!" Selim jumped excitedly, looking at Roy with sparkling eyes. Roy can't help but grabbed one of his gloves and perform some flame alchemy in front of them. Ed and Selim looked at the dancing flame he created with a single snap with enthusiasm. In their little minds they wonder, when they could master such great alchemy like that.

"Well, well…I see that the boys are getting attached that quick, eh?"

They turned their heads to the right, and saw the Fuhrer was walking towards them. Selim ran to his father and hugged him, expecting that his father would do the same like Roy. But he didn't. He only gave Selim a stroke on the head. Roy was about to lift his hand to salute when the Fuhrer gave 'at ease' signal.

"Selim, Edward, go and play ball. Colonel Mustang and I need to talk" The Fuhrer said. They nodded, and ran across the field to see which one gets to kick the ball first.

Roy was being nervous, afraid that the Fuhrer told him that Ed has to go away. But soon the stern look of the Fuhrer changed into a smile.

"All right! You may keep him"

"Huh…?"

"You may keep your son, Mustang"

"T-thank you…sir"

"He got a remarkable talent. Teach him well to become a state alchemist in the future and protect our country"

That day, Roy entered his home with a big smile on his face, letting out a sigh of relief as he closed the door and removed his shoes. For a while, he and his son stared each other, before Roy giving out a smirk and screamed

"BATH TIME, LITTLE SHRIMP!"

And again, the hectic game of cat-and-mouse game at bath time in the Mustangs' apartment had started.


	23. Chapter 23

The gentle sound of the waves rolling back and forth was the first thing in the morning that Edward Mustang heard as he opened his eyes. He realized that he was sleeping on a bed with his father cuddling him. He made his way out of his father's arms then out of the blanket and off from bed, only to find that someone (probably his father) had changed his clothes into PJs. As he sat back on the bed, he tried to remember where he was right now and why he was there. Of course it is obvious that he's not home, since there is no room decorated with cream-colored walls at home. But he knew that he had been in this room before, and there was this familiar sound from outside. He tried to remember what happened yesterday before he was asleep. He remembered taking a very, very long train ride with daddy Roy and he fell asleep.

_Now why am I taking a long train ride with daddy?_

The answer made him smile and jumped out of bed. He quickly ran towards the balcony and opened all the bamboo curtains and the window sliding door, then ran to the edge of the balcony. Seeing the clear blue sky, the sparkling sands and the crystal clear sea across the horizon, he can't help but smile in amazement and scream as loud as he can.

"WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! BEEEEEEEAAAAAAACCCCHHHHH!"

Ed was jumping happily on the balcony, screaming out happily because he realized that he's on his most favorite place on earth: beach! The breeze brought the scent of salt from the sea, making his body itching to just get down the beach and play. Just as he was about to make his way down the balcony stairs to the beach, someone grabbed him from the back and lifted him up.

"Grandpa!"

Roger Mustang smiled proudly towards his grandson and kissed his forehead gently. Ed giggled, and his happy face reflects on the old Mustang's glasses who returned his grandson's smile with a heartwarming smile of his.

"Goo~od morning my favorite grandson! Did you sleep well last night?" Roger said cheerfully.

"Yes grandpa! I sleep very well!"

"That's good! Now, let's go out and have breakfast. Grandma wants to see you" Roger then put his grandson on his shoulders and walked back in to the house.

"But what about daddy Roy? He's still asleep!" Ed pointed to his bed where his father still lied peacefully below the light brown blanket. Roger only sighed, seeing that his son's behavior hasn't changed for the last nine years ever since he left home for alchemy apprenticeship and then went in to the Military – Roy was never a morning person. He only turned back to the door and walked out of the room.

"Just let him rest. Let's have breakfast while waiting for daddy to wake up, and after breakfast you can play at the beach"

"But daddy Roy promised me that we'll play together!"

"Well he must've wake up already by the time we're done with breakfast"

When they arrived at the kitchen, they saw Anna Mustang preparing French toast for breakfast. She was humming happily while flipping the sizzling toasts, until he realized that her husband and her grandson was at the entrance.

"Here, Anna. I've brought our favorite grandson for breakfast!" Roger said as he set Ed down to the floor.

"Oh! Good morning, Edward! Grandma missed you very much!" Ed gave his grandma a hug as she leaned down to give a morning kiss on his soft cheek. They did met before a few times, back when he was very little – Ed vividly remember his meetings with his grandparents, but he likes them very much because they always send him gifts by the mail – whether it's his favorite dry cookies or some new toys.

Ed then climbed on to one of the dining chairs to wait for the breakfast while his grandpa grabbed some glass from the rack full of glassware for milk – and Ed started to pull an unhappy face. A few minutes later Roy came into the kitchen, still messy-haired and sleepy-faced, scratching his head and yawning.

"Morning mom…is breakfast ready?" he asked.

"Well, well…just what I thought from my baby boy. Still acting like a kid even when he's got one of his own already" Anna sighed, and kissed his son's cheek while brushing her wrinkled fingers through his hair.

"Mom, stop it! Don't treat me like a kid and don't call me baby!" Roy removed his mother's hands from his head. Ed giggled seeing his father being treated like a little kid.

"Your son even acted more mature than you, son" Roger added. Ed smiled proudly. He likes to be treated like a big kid because it makes him feel stronger and being a big kid means that you don't have to drink that cow piss called milk anymore.

Breakfast in the Mustang house at the West City beachside was quiet and peaceful. The sound of the waves and the direct view of the beach at the dining table makes their foot itches to go there directly. While Ed was pacing up with breakfast, Roy was still trying to make himself awake while the sound of the waves was driving him to sleep again. He even almost put a spoonful of salt instead of sugar in his coffee, and mistook baking powder as coffee creamer. His son and his parents had to keep reminding him not to use the wrong ingredients and utensils. As he sipped his coffee, he heard the clinking sound of children's plastic fork touching an empty plate – which was from Ed's plate.

"Dad, I've finished my breakfast! Can we go now?"

Oh, how much he wanted to say 'no' and go back to sleep for like two or three hours, but that will disappoint his son badly. They went all the way to West Central for a vacation and he didn't want to ruin any moment of it because he knows by the time they go back to Grand Central, he will be swamped with paperwork he had delayed over the summer. He had planned to stay only for four weeks, but he had promised Ed that they would stay until at least one week before summer vacation ends. Plus, his son is going to elementary school soon. They won't have some quality time together for weeks after summer ends.

With a sigh, Roy stood up from the chair and grabbed his son from the chair "All right, let's go!" he said.

It doesn't take long for them to get changed to their swimming trunks. While Roger decided to play chess at the balcony with his friend next door, Roy and Ed went straight to the beach. Ed was having fun drawing transmutation circles with a twig and building sand figures from them, while Roy was waxing his surfboard. His board is a twin-fin short board type. Unlike other surfboards, his is all black with white fins and had the flame symbol similar to the one on top of his transmutation circle engraved at the end. As he's about to hit the waves, he saw Ed swimming with the neighbor kids. He's always fast when making friends.

"Hey Eddo, I'm gonna hit the waves now, k? Don't go too far from the house!"

"Okay!"

As Roy paddled out far from the shore towards the waves, Ed and his new friends watched him. It is a rare sight to see the flame alchemist to be back home in their neighborhood and riding on the waves with his black board at their backyard beach. Their eyes following the man flipped and jumped through the rolling waves with amazement.

_I want to be able to do that too…_

Seeing his son's shining eyes full of curiosity, Roy approached the shore and decided to teach him how to surf now. When he walked closer to the kids, they cheered for the flame alchemist. Roy just replied them with a smile, trying to ignore screaming and fainting fan girls seeing his wet muscles shining below the sunshine of West City Beach.

"Ed, do you want to learn how to surf?"

CLANK!

"OW!"

"Are you okay there, dad?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine…now I'm sure it's gotta be here somewhere…"'

DONG!

"OOOOOOUCH!"

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaad?"

"I'm fine lil' Ed…. Just a… Oh! Here it is!"

A few moments later, Roy was out of the storage hut with a dusty surfboard on his side. He leaned down to put the surfboard down and wiped off the dusts, while Ed was standing by his side, looking at the old dusty red surfboard. It is way longer than his dad's, and he's not sure if he'll be able to carry that big surfboard by himself.

"Roooooy! Telephone from Central HQ!" Anna suddenly yelled out from the door.

"In a jiff, mom! Hey Ed, you wash this board while I'm answering the phone, ok? Clean it, dry it, wax it, then we're gonna hit the waves!"

"Aye, captain!" Ed saluted to his dad and gave a high-five before Roy ran inside the house. He then pulled the hose near the garage, turned on the tap and start washing.

"Yes Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang here may I help you?" he said as he grabbed the phone and opened a jar of cookie.

"Good day, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang!"

_This voice…_

"FUHRER SIR?" he quickly dropped the cookie jar and stiffened. He completely ignored the smashed cookie jar and its remains that were scattering on the floor – his mom would be upset after this for sure.

"Ha ha ha, at ease, at ease, Mustang! You are on vacation, right? Anyways, I would like to talk about Edward"

"About Edward, sir?"

"Yes. You see…I want Edward to enter the National Academy"

"The National Academy?"

"Yes, the school that I had established fifty years ago for talented children. As what I read in your files, you are also one of the alumni. Am I wrong?"

"N-no sir…"

"Ah yes, you do not have to worry about the funds. I have listed Edward as a recommended student by my own signature and will be given scholarship for the rest of his life"

"…."

"Do you have any problems with that, Mustang?"

"Um…"

"Edward is a gifted child. A _gifted _child in alchemy – both of us knew what it means, am I right, Mustang? "

"Yes…"

_I know it very well…_

"Good. Starting this September he is going to be enrolled in the academy. Have a good vacation, Mustang! Oh, and tell Edward that Selim says hi. He is looking forward to be in the same school with him"

After Roy hung up the phone, he sighed deeply.

_National Academy…He is one step closer to becoming a state alchemist… _

_I don't want my son to be in the same hell as what I went through in Ishbal…_

_My son…That's right, I wish he is. I wish he were really mine. Truth is…he's not, and I don't have the full authority of raising him…_

_But just being a mere lieutenant colonel and a state alchemist, what can I do?_

_That's right, I have to stay strong. I have to become Fuhrer…like what I promised to my comrades in the battlefield years ago. _

_In order to make Amestris a better place…_

_And to save Edward. _

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad, 'am doneeeee…" Edward's scream from outside snapped him out of his train of thoughts. That's right, they're having summer vacation right now. He clenched his wrists and ran towards the door.

_All right! _

"Okaaaayyyyy!"

That evening, as the color of the sky turned into orange, Ed was already able to stand up on his board and hit the waves together with his daddy – which brought all the neighbor kids envy. Ed was smiling with pride, enjoying the wind blowing up his hair and the water hitting his face as the waves came as he paddled further from the shore to catch the good waves. Paddling was the most tiring part of surfing for a small boy like Ed, even though his daddy said that his long board makes him easier to move forward. But it all paid well when he was finally able to catch the good waves and drift on the water without falling. Because when he falls, his small body will be tossed around by the waves until he was able to rise up and grab his board. But what he likes most of all is, when he's got to ride on his daddy's board. It was way smaller and was not as stable as his long board, but easier to take around. By the end of the day, both father and son was already tanned and exhausted of playing in the sun all day long.

After the sun goes down, Roy and Ed joined Roger's barbecue party. Of course Roy's the one to cook because he's the one with the flame alchemy skills and also a punishment from Anna because he smashed the cookie jar and leave without cleaning the mess up. Everyone on the neighborhood gathered to watch the Flame Alchemist showing his skills on the grill and to enjoy the famous Mustang family cooking – Roger was an ex-chef from a well-known restaurant in Grand Central. And another reason why people gather there today is to watch the meteor shower.

"Look dad, look! It's starting!" Ed said, pointing out enthusiastically towards the beautiful starry night sky.

"I know, kiddo! I know!" Roy then lifted Ed up and put him on his shoulder, letting him to see the fireworks better in the crowd of people. They both laugh cheerfully between the crowd of people, and stayed late until the clock strikes twelve times.

Summer has ended. The wind from the north brought a chilly cold weather to Central City. Trees that turned into red and falling leaves on the streets, signing that autumn is finally here again.

The military car stopped in front of the National Academy Elementary gate. As he looked towards the school gate where a lot of parents were dropping off their children at their first day of school, he remembered the days back when he was a first-grader boy, wearing the red necktie and white shirt covered with blue vest and red-plaids knee-length pants, running happily with a blue schoolbag on his back and the clack-clack voice of his brown leather shoes on the ground. But now, he is wearing the uniform that he used to dream of wearing – the blue military uniform with the colonel rank on his shoulders, holding his son's hand like his mother used to do when she walked him to school. Unlike Ed's old school, the National Academy is really huge. The elementary school building was only a small part of the whole academy itself. There's secondary school, university, military academy and the 2nd state laboratory within the ten hectares area complete with facilities such as Olympic-size swimming pool, professional gymnasium also used by national athletes of Amestris for training, an enormous multi-purpose hall, and all those luxurious facilities that you can ever imagine inside a prestigious school.

"Edward!"

Ed and Roy turned back to see Selim Bradley waving and running towards them with his bodyguards following at the back.

"Selim!" Ed then let go of his father's hand and ran towards his friend – which was replied by a friendly hug.

"Edward! I'm so excited to be in the same school with you! Have you seen the classroom division board? We're in the same class! Have you decided what afterschool club to join? What about…"

Ed cannot resist Selim's enthusiasm even though he himself felt a bit awkward. While waiting at one of the benches to leave the boys to chat, one of Selim's bodyguards approached Roy and talked. "I am sorry for Master Selim to bother your son, Colonel Mustang. This is the first time he's going to school, so I guess he's nervous" Roy can't help but startled by the fact "First time…?" "Yes, he was homeschooled before, but this year the Fuhrer decided to send him to the academy. I guess it's because of his literature talent, I suppose. After all, I've seen his teacher mentioning it many times to the Fuhrer that him being homeschooled is a waste, and therefore he must be sent to the academy for further study…" while discussing things with the bodyguard, suddenly a familiar voice greeted Roy.

"Hello there, Mr. Mustang! Long time no see!"

Roy turned back to see who was greeting him "Oh! M-Mrs. Heidreich! It's nice to see you again! If you're here…did Alphonse happen to be in this academy too?"

"Oh yes! You see, he is very talented and he was directly being scouted by the Fuhrer himself!"

"Scouted?"

"Well…didn't you know? He was the youngest one when they held the state alchemist examination three weeks ago! He did pass the test, but the generals were afraid that he was too young, so he earned a scholarship to this academy and when he is old enough, he can become a state alchemist"

"Oh…I haven't heard anything yet about this year's examination since Edward and I was just back from the West City last week! I was busy with delayed paperwork and everything, so…"

"By the way, how did your son get to this academy?"

"Um…like Alphonse, he was scouted too by the Fuhrer since he was three. The Fuhrer had especially assigned me to educate him alchemy since early age. He also got lifetime scholarship too…"

"Oh really? That's fascinating! Both of our sons are alchemic prodigies! I hope they can be good friends…"

…

The school bell rang out loud. It's time for the parents to leave and let their children enjoy their first day of school

"Well, Mrs. Heidreich…I'm afraid it's time for me to leave" Roy then bowed his head, and bid farewell to her. After saying goodbye to Ed and Selim who happened to be with Alphonse, he left the school and went straight to the HQ. Gosh, how he disliked that woman Lyla Heidreich for some reasons he cannot describe. He's a bit sad to part ways with Ed, and also a bit worried since he's in a new school, but he's also relieved that he didn't have to talk to that Heidreich woman…until they see each other again.


	24. Chapter 24

THREE YEARS LATER.

Roy was unusually sitting on his desk, working on his papers. Since Ed now is a fourth grader in a very prestigious school, he felt necessary to work harder – of course, since the fee is also prestigiously _high_. Although Ed had lifetime scholarship from the Fuhrer, he just felt uneasy. Roy himself was enrolled in the Academy because of scholarship too, so he had no idea how much the school fee actually was – until he saw the scholarship files yesterday. He would feel ashamed that after being freed from the burden of such amount of money _twice_, he's still going to be a lazy bum. After all, it's equivalent exchange we're talking about here.

"Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, you have a phonecall waiting" Riza said, placing the phone on his desk.

_The phone RANG? And Hawkeye ANSWERED it? Gosh, I must be concentrating too deep…_

"Reject it, Hawkeye. I'm doing my papers…as you always told me to do"

"It's from the academy, sir"

Roy sighed, "The same old issue…again?" he said with a bored tone. Hawkeye nodded "Yes it is, sir"

Reluctantly, he grabbed the phone and answered it "Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang speaking…" while speaking with the person over the phone who clearly was the principal of the school, Roy signaled Hawkeye with his finger to grab his coat – meaning that he will leave soon and won't be back until after lunch…again.

One of the reasons on why Roy felt he had to work hard after Ed got admitted to the academy is because…

Edward is a troublesome student. A _very _troublesome student.

After two knocks and a voice saying "Come in", Roy made himself into the principal's office. He greeted the principal's secretary briefly, and was told to wait for the principal to come. On the sofa, he saw two almost-identical boys sitting down facing the opposite directions, arms crossed, face pouted. Both of them have bruises, cuts, and band-aids on their arms and faces, and some parts of their uniforms were torn.

For a while, he stood in front of them, hoping that at least Ed would react in some way that indicates an apology plea. But nothing happened. Looking at his son's pigheaded attitude, he can't help but sigh. Finally, he decided to ask,"Alright, what is it this time?" he asked

"His fault" they replied in unison. Roy sighed again, and decided to take a seat on the sofa across them. None of them spoke until the door opened again, revealing the principal of the school. Roy stood up, and shook the principal's hand.

"Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, Edward's father" he introduced himself.

"Elise Von Deauxnim, principal of Amestris National Academy. Nice to meet you too, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang" she replied.

Von Deauxnim then sat on one of the living chairs that was placed near her desk and reached towards the table for a black folder – which Roy assumed as a behavior report of the two. As he waited for the principal to speak, he tried to remember when was the last time he was being nervous when entering a principal's room. When was it? Some decades ago when he was in high school? He remembered those days when he was being rebellious as a teenager, being taken to the exact same room after doing some crazy flame alchemy experiment in the class – which ended up burning the pop quiz papers that was to be given out by the teacher, or drawing transmutation circles over doorknobs to make them unable to be locked – which he did to the faculty room's door and locked almost all of the teachers for half a day. He almost laughed remembering that, even though they're in a serious situation right now. Seeing Mrs. Von Deauxnim's stern face as she read through the boys' behavior reports jolt his senses of why his presence was required here in this hour. He sighed deeply.

"So," Mrs. Von Deauxnim suddenly spoke, as she closed the report folder and put it back on the table. She looked at the boys, then to Roy. Somehow, her stare made him nervous.

"Edward Mustang and Alphonse Heidreich, do you have something to say?" she asked.

They stayed silent.

"Alright." She sighed. "Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, do you know what the problem is?"

"No. Edward didn't tell me anything, and that's what I would like to know too,"

"Boys, does anyone care to explain to Lieutenant Colonel Mustang?"

Silence.

"Perhaps you, Edward? Would you like to explain what happened between you and your friend?"

"He ain't a friend, Mrs. Von Deauxnim! And why should I be the one who explain while I didn't do anything?"

"Oh no you don't, shortie!" Alphonse stood up from the sofa "You're the one who attacked me first!"

Hearing the word 'short' coming out of anybody's mouth is the keyword to make him lose control. Ed stood up and pushed Al. "Does a little smack on your pretty face counts as an attack rather than you pulling my shirt and throw me off the ground?"

"But you're the one who use alchemy first!"

"No! You're the one!"

"You are!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

_BANG!_

"SILENCE!"

Mrs. Von Deauxnim banged on the coffee table and gave a stare that made the two boys stare at her with fear and sat back down on the sofa, still at the opposite edges.

"Thank you" she said firmly "Now, Edward. Would you like to explain to your father?" Edward slightly pouted and turned his head to the door. It goes the same when she asked Alphonse. She then stood up from the chair and went to her desk, grabbed her notepad and wrote something.

"If that's the case, I'm afraid I will have to give you both a suspension"

She ripped off the papers and gave it to the boys. On the paper, it's clearly written that they got three days suspension starting from tomorrow.

"Edward, you may now get your belongings from class and leave. Alphonse, you remain here until one of your parents pick you up"

"Yes, Mrs. Von Deauxnim" they replied in unison. Then, the father and son leave the principal's room. Even though Ed tried to look tough, but it is still clear that he fears something – of course. He felt sorry that he made enough trouble to get Roy called to school in the middle of his working hours only to find out that he's been creating troubles at school. But Roy said nothing and just waited for him silently when he grabbed his stuffs in his class and made their way out of the academy. Apparently, Roy was not in the mood of driving today or even taking the car at all so they both walked all the way from the academy to the military HQ, which will take about twenty minutes.

Although it is still in the same area as the military grounds, pathway from the academy to the HQ and vice versa is very colorful compared to most of the pathways in the area. With tall pine trees on the side of the track, planted distant from each other so it won't get crowded like a forest.

"So…" Roy said, breaking the silence between the two of them "What did you actually do?"

Edward still refuses to talk.

"I won't talk to Mrs. Von Deauxnim and Riza. Not even to Maes"

Edward still keep his mouth shut. Roy almost feel hopeless when his son suddenly stopped.

"Edward?"

"…Dad…"

"Yes?"

"Can I move to another school?"

Roy knew that his son's request would be impossible – The Fuhrer will never allow that. But still, he wanted to know the reason why. "Why? Don't you like it to be here?"

"Well…at least, there's no Alphonse Heidreich there!"

"What's with that Heidreich boy, son?"

"He….he's just too annoying! I hate him! Dad, can I move back to my old school? Please?"

Roy sighed "Edward, don't be silly. You can't just move to another school just because of Alphonse bullying you…"

"HE'S NOT BULLYING ME!" Edward snapped.

"Okay, okay! Don't scream! But here, you can't move back to your old school and just ignore that Alphonse boy, ok?"

"Why? You're a state alchemist, and you're a Lieutenant Colonel! You can order up people easily, right dad?"

Roy loses his patience and quickly put his hands on his son's shoulders – Edward knew this habit – whenever Roy did that it means that he's going to give him an _understanding._

"Edward, look at me"

Edward stared straight to his father's eyes – a flash of gold from his own eyes reflected clearly on the onyx color of the flame alchemists' eyeballs.

"Listen, Edward. There is more life than the military, more than what you thought. Even though I'm always leading people around, it doesn't mean that I can do everything on my own will. And you do realize that there are greater people than a Lieutenant Colonel in the military, right? You still remember what Riza taught you about military rankings?"

Edward nodded reluctantly

"Good, now…back to the main topic. Will you tell me what was the problem with Alphonse?"

There was silence, and then he finally spoke

"He…he was talking something bad about you…and me"

Okay, a friend of Ed insulting Roy was not a new thing, since he was having issues with General Hakuro because of that incident of Ed and the general's son fighting in the playground and the reason behind it – even though it was so distant that it felt like it happened a century ago. But Ed? Being insulted? That's a new thing, Roy thought.

"Why didn't you tell it to the principal?"

"I don't want to. He's talking about something really bad"

"Okay, what is that bad thing he talks about?"

"Something bad is something bad, okay dad? I don't want to talk about it!"

And then Ed ran off. Roy tried to chase him, but he was not being the first in the National Academy's annual Olympics sprint competition for nothing – Edward is a really fast runner, almost as fast as Havoc who is one of the fastest runner in the Central HQ. When his son disappeared to the exit gate that leads to the main street, Roy gave up. There's no way he can chase him now.

_I wonder what happened at his school? _


	25. Chapter 25

Worrying about Ed, Roy decided to go home early. When he arrived at his apartment, Ed was doing his homework on the dining table. He just stared at his father and didn't speak a word, and then continue doing his homework. Roy hanged his coat and was about to approach him for some talking when he stood up and went to his bedroom. The flame alchemist just stared at him blankly until he heard the bedroom door slammed. He sighed. _Geez, I'd bet my state alchemist license that the kid has mind-reading ability_, he thought.

_I wonder what's wrong with him…he never done this before, not telling me his problems and wander off. Of course this is not the first time I heard him argue with Alphonse, but…I just felt something's wrong with him. _

After changing his military uniform into a pair of gray parachute pants and a black t-shirt, Roy entered his study and decided to work on deciphering Hohenheim's book because there's nothing else to do when being home in this hour. It's been years and he still haven't figure out what was the real secret behind Edward's transmutation – or _maybe_ Edward and Alphonse's transmutation. He's been trying to get information about Alphonse over the past few years, but there's none in particular that helps his research. Although he was really sure that the theory written there is for transmuting twins, but he can't say that Alphonse is Edward's twin brother just because they're identical. And back when he found Ed in the abandoned house in Resembool, the poor child was alone. But still, both Edward and Alphonse have unique eye colors – although they're different.

_Are they really related…or not? _

It was way past dinnertime when Roy was awake. He fell asleep on his desk and almost gets a heart attack when he saw the clock – 1:00 AM. He had been engrossed in his study for so long that he didn't realize – but today he made lots of progress in his research. He do remembered turning on the lights because it was getting dark outside, but he didn't remember turning them off or even getting a blanket – which is now hanging on his back. When he saw the red choo-choo train pattern on the dark blue blanket, he smiled. It's Ed's favorite blanket. Suddenly, he felt his stomach grumble. Of course he's hungry, he haven't eaten anything all day. After setting the blanket down on his chair, he went to the kitchen and turned on the lights, grabbed a packet of Xingese instant noodle and cook. After he finished his instant dinner (or breakfast), he went to Ed's bedroom to check on him.

He opened the door slowly, trying not to make a sound because he's sure that Edward is asleep in this hour. Just as he thought – he is asleep. But not on his bed – on his desk. He sighed, _like father like son, _he thought. He then slowly tried to lift him up to move him to his bed, but something caught his attention. He was writing something when he fell asleep. After setting him on his bed and covered his body with a blanket, he took his son's book before he went out and closed the door. He flapped through the book and soon found out that it's his son's journal. Of course he never thought that a rascal boy like Edward would bother to write one. Perhaps if he did, then there's something that he can't tell to anybody. After all, that's what diaries are for.

He flicked through the pages and found nothing in particular – just his days with his friends in the new academy, meeting Christopher and his old friends at school and play baseball every afterschool, receiving a bike from his father's subordinates as a birthday gift…

But the last four months, he has been filling them out irregularly. He skipped a day or two, or maybe even a week, and when he wrote he just wrote his fight that day with Alphonse. But the last two pages he wrote are the worst:

_16__th__ March_

_Fight again with that stupid pretty boy Alphonse. Now he's saying that my daddy works part-time as a sex slut at night and lonely woman pay some bucks to be his one-night stand. I looked up in the dictionary and found what does 'slut' means. Then after school, I quickly grabbed his collar and beat him up to pieces – we fought until Ms. Grey stopped us and she said we both got detention tomorrow. I'd better fix my uniform with alchemy before daddy Roy gets home. _

_28__th__ March_

_Today in class we learned where do babies come from and it's embarrassing. But something's bothering me: if you need a mommy and a daddy to make a baby, where do I come from? I never have a mommy, and I know that mommy Riza is not my mommy. Everytime I asked daddy Roy, he never answered. Then Alphonse shouted to the whole class "Oh yeah, Edward didn't have a mommy, right? I wonder where does he come from?" then he continued again "I know! His daddy is a slut, so his mommy must be a whore! Yeah, just like in those novels your mommy reads, his daddy got some whore off the street and knocked her up, then when he's born she left him on his daddy's porch!" so I punched his face and we both started to fight. The whole class is cheering at us and Ms. Grey tried to stop us but we accidentally pushed her aside, then I saw her went out of the class but Alphonse grabbed my collar and pulled me down. I kicked his butt and we started to wrestle, and stopped by Mrs. Von Deauxnim. Then she dragged us both to the principal's office and she gave us a very long lecture. I was half-asleep and Alphonse keeps bothering me, so I didn't really listen. When she told both of us to talk, we both keep our mouth shut. I am scared to talk because if I do, then Alphonse will say something more badly next time. Mrs. Von Deauxnim said that she will call both of our parents again because this is the fifth time we get dragged to the principal's office. She said something like "If you both are not His Excellency's direct scouts, I'll expel you already!" then she went out of the room for a very long time, then daddy Roy came. He was really disappointed, I know. I bet he's going to be angry after we arrived home. On our way home, he asked me why I am always fighting with Alphonse. I'm too scared to say anything because daddy Roy will surely say to Ms. Grey and Mrs. Von Deauxnim, so I shut up and run away. I hope he won't say anything to them when he finds out. _

The notebook slipped from Roy's hands. He can't believe what he just read. _Alphonse? That boy who seemed to be a goody-two-shoes-bookworm-genius saying such words like these? I can't believe it…but Edward wouldn't lie, I know! My son won't lie and I never teach him words like these! So…this is what's happening all the time? _

FOUR DAYS LATER

Ed was awakened by the sound of the alarm clock. He wanted to sleep again, but remembering that today he has to go back to school, he can't. He then get up and went out of his room, but he stopped on his door when he saw his dad dressed up in civilian clothes, not with his usual military uniform.

"Dad? Why are you not wearing your uniform?"

Roy turned his eyes towards his son, his hands still fixing his necktie in front of the mirror in the kitchen "Oh, so you're awake. Hurry up and get dressed. We're going somewhere"

Edward twitched one of his eyebrows and tilted his head "Huh? Dad, it's Wednesday. I must go to school and…"

"You're not going"

"Why?"

"I'm not sending you to school today. I've called your teacher already. Hurry up and get dressed, I've prepared your suitcase. You can do the packing by yourself, right?" he said, shoving his son's little brown leather suitcase to him.

Ed nodded, still confused on why his father suddenly acted…strange. "Good. Pack for a week. Hurry up because we'll be leaving in thirty minutes"

"Dad, where are we…"

"JUST HURRY UP AND PACK YOUR BAGS!" Roy yelled. Shocked, Ed quickly grabbed his suitcase, ran to his room and slammed the door. Behind the door, Ed leaned on it and dropped his suitcase, gasping for air.

"Gee, what was that all about? I've never seen him like that…"

Remembering that his dad might be angry if he'll take longer than half an hour to do everything, he quickly stood up and prepared for everything as quick as possible.

Later on, Ed went out of his room with his suitcase and a brown backpack on his back with the head of his favorite teddy bear that he cannot sleep without is sticking out from the top of his backpack. Ed himself is clad in a vintage London street urchin style: brown vintage suit and knee-length grey pants with plaid patterns, along with a pair of brown leather shoes covering his feet.

"Alright, you're ready? You've brought everything you need?" Roy asked.

Ed nodded, still a bit scared that his daddy will shout at him again.

"Good, let's go"

Roy put on his coat and grabbed his own suitcase and opened the door. He then told Ed to go out first, closed the door and locked it. Then they went down the stairs and out to the streets.

"Daddy, where are we going?"

Roy didn't answer. Ed glanced towards his father, only to see his father's stern face. He kept looking straight to the road, and somehow Ed felt so scared that he decided to keep silent.

Finally, they're arrived at the train station. Even though it's still early in the morning, the station was already crowded. It is uncountable for how many times Ed had taken trips with the train, but Ed felt that there is something different with the train station. Roy then went away to get some food, and he was told to wait in front of the platform and guard their suitcases. Sitting on his father's big suitcase in the middle of the crowd, he looked around to see people passing by – and soon find out what makes the train station looked different; the crowd. He looked at the station clock – it's still 10 minutes to 7 AM. And most people there are bringing suitcases and dressed up in neat clothes like him and his father – meaning they're all travelers. Before he could think anything else, the station bell rang so loud and the stationmaster spoke loudly through his megaphone.

"EARLIEST TRAIN TO THE EAST! EARLIEST TRAIN TO THE EAST! ALL PASSENGERS PLEASE MOVE IN LINE AND DON'T PUSH!"

The mass of people soon moved towards the train. Ed was stuck in the middle of the stream of humans, still waiting for his dad and guarding the suitcases so they won't be kicked over by people. Soon, he met up with Roy who brought a paper bag, which seemed to be filled with food and grabbed his own suitcase with his free hand.

"Ed, let's go! Grab your suitcase and get into the train!"

After managing to enter the train, Ed followed Roy all the way to the back where they have sleeping cabins. Finally, they stopped in front of a cabin

"Ed, I'll let you choose. Do you want to sleep at the top bunk or the lower bunk?"

"TOP!" Ed chooses without hesitation. He then let Ed climb the ladder to the top bunk and let him drop himself on the mattress. This was the first time Ed got his own bunk in the train. Usually they took the first class private cabin or he slept in the same bunk with his father, but he is already grown big enough that he would not fit in the same bunk with Roy. While Ed were having fun exploring the top bunk, Roy put their suitcase away on the compartment below the lower bunk where he will sleep and hang their coats away, then set himself down on the mattress. Just as he was about to lay himself down, Ed popped his head down.

"Daaaad!"

"Yes, Edward?"

"I am a bit curious…where are we going? We are using a sleeping car, then are we going somewhere far away?"

Roy sighed and rested his head on the pillow "Well…we are going somewhere far. It took about…four days to get there"

"Where?"

"Your birthplace, Resembool"


	26. Chapter 26

"Birthplace?"

"Yes, Ed. It's the place where you were…born"

"Why are you taking me there suddenly?"

Roy rubbed his temple and sighed. "I reckon that it's time you know about your past, you real past."

Ed opened his mouth to ask more, but before he managed to spoke Roy already put his finger in front of his lips.

"I believe you have many questions to ask, Ed. But I will tell you when we get there"

"Why do I have to wait?"

"It's just…I…I need to prepare myself. It's a long story"

"But dad-"

"Edward Elric Mustang,"

"Yes?"

"If you don't wait until we reach Resembool, we can get off this train at the next station and return to Central, and forget about this matter forever."

Ed nodded obediently.

"Good."

For the next few hours, it remained silent between them.

Taking a very long train trip makes every boys grow bored, especially Edward. He has never been the silent type, always making rackets and troubles here and there. Ed only take a few alchemy books on his trip, and he regretted that he picked to bring his favorites instead of the new ones he got from Falman the other day – he almost memorized the content of the books and his hands itched to try it out, but Roy warned him that he cannot use alchemy until they get down from the train. Living with an alchemy prodigy prankster, The Flame Alchemist knew that once his son got bored and he's allowed to use alchemy for stress-reliever, it would be disastrous.

Ed then tossed his books aside and lied on his bed on the top bunk, glancing at the passing scenery outside mindlessly. It was raining outside, and looking at the raindrops trickling down the window always gave him chills. He wondered about Roy who had been out of their compartment since two hours ago and not telling where he's going or what he's going to do – he knew his father hated the rainy day more than everything. It made him feels useless, which made sense because he's a flame alchemy user. He was too lazy to leave his bunk and wander around to look for his father – Roy can't possibly leave the train because the nearest station is still three hours away, and it's raining. He felt like dozing off for a little while until he heard the door shut open. It's Roy.

"Hey kiddo, what are you doing?"

"Nothing" he replied sleepily. "What is it?"

Roy walked towards the bunk bed and sat down "I reckon that you're bored, so I decided to teach you something"

Ed quickly sat up from his bed "Is it alchemy?" he asked enthusiastically

Roy shook his head "Unfortunately…no. But it's something as fun as alchemy" he said, as he shoved out a deck of poker cards.

"Cards?"

"Yes, I'm going to teach you poker"

And so, the father and son spent days on the train playing poker, and he's surprisingly good at it. Roy was so challenged that he started to bet with real money, even though he knew that it's bad for Ed and if Riza finds out, he'll have to play chase with her deadly bullets again. But of course, it ended up with five hundred Centz in Ed's pocket, and Roy lost a quarter of cash in his wallet. And the idea of using poker to get more money from his dad makes him almost forgot about why they went on a journey to Resembool in the first place until they arrived at Resembool station.

"Resembool station! Resembool station! Please check your belongings before leaving the train!" the stationmaster announced with a megaphone. The father and son stepped out of the train with their suitcases, and as the scent of countryside enters their noses, they put their suitcases down and took a deep breath and stretched. Four days in the train makes their body stiff, especially for Ed who is never been the boy who stays quietly at home in the afternoons.

"Come on, Ed! Let's go" Roy said as he lifted his suitcase. Ed took his suitcase and they went out of the train station. The two then walked on the countryside trail – the road is dusty and unpaved, and as they looked around all they see are farms, houses, animals and countryside people working. Ed, born and raised as a city kid as far as he all knows, had only seen these kinds of things on books and movies. He keeps gazing on the scenery with amazement until he bumped on his father's back. He almost tripped and finally comes into his senses.

"Dad? Why are we stopping?" he asked. He popped his head from his father's back and saw a herd of sheep walking across the road.

Ed groaned "Can't we just barge into them or something? Look at their numbers! We'll have to wait for quite a long time for sure if we gonna wait for all of them to go! And what's the point of waiting for a herd of sheep?"

Hearing his son, Roy just smiled "Relax, Ed. We're in the countryside, follow their countryside ways. Look, everybody's waiting, right?" Ed looked around, and saw a few villagers on the other side of the herd of sheep waiting. "In the city, we're all rush rush rush, but here people are all relax and take things slow – they even waited for sheep to pass"

Ed just sighed and sat on his suitcase, waiting for the herd of sheep to pass like what he's told. He looked left and right, and up towards the sky. The fresh air and the cold breeze make him comfortable – and he could feel a little tinge in his heart.

A familiar feeling that he always felt when he imagined what his mother like.

"...Edward! Let's go!"

Ed snapped out of his thoughts right after he heard Roy calling him, stood up, picked up his suitcase and ran to his father. As they walked, Ed grabbed his father's hand – which is surprising for Roy. Since entering fourth grade, his son never hold his hand anymore even when they crossed the road together. Roy just smiled and pulled his son closer to him, and they keep on walking until they saw a familiar house on top of the hill.

"Automail Makers – Rockbell Prosthetics" That was written on the signboard in front of the house. Ed didn't remember about this place, but he kind of felt that he had seen this place before. He let go of his father's hand, letting him to approach the house. He took some time to glance around the hill – mountains stretching around the village of Resembool as far as his eyes could see, and green grassy fields - something that a city boy like him could only see in photographs. He had been on hiking trips to the mountains before, but still, the nature of Resembool amazed him. Meanwhile, Roy walked up the steps of the Rockbell Prosthetics of the house and knocked the door twice.

"_Coming!" _

The voice of a little girl was followed by the sound of a chair shifted on the wooden floor and rapid steps coming closer to the door. Seconds later, the door is opened, revealing a small blonde girl with blue eyes, wearing a red apron. For a moment, she stood there without a word, and scanned the military man from head to toe.

"Hello there, I see you've grown up" Roy greeted

The little girl tilted her head "…Did I know you from somewhere?"

Roy sighed "It's been many years, no wonder you forgot. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, and I am here to see you and your grandmother"

Hearing him spoke out his rank, she frowned and took a step forward, her grip on the wooden door hardened "…What do you want from me and my grandmother?"

"Oh, nothing to do with the military. I'm here with my son after all"

"...son?" she then shifted her body and saw a little boy with a bright-colored hair standing in the middle of the hill – and suddenly she felt that he had seen the military man and the boy before.

Before she managed to say anything else, Pinako Rockbell walked towards them "Winry, who is at the door – oh! …It's you"

Roy smiled "Long time no see, Mrs. Rockbell"

Pinako gave a sly smile "Long time no see too, Mustang. You haven't changed much after all these years"

"You too – oh, um, I brought Edward with me – Edward! Come here!"

Ed turned towards his father and dashed to the house. As he stepped next to his father, Roy pulled him closer to his side "Here he is – he's a big boy now, isn't he?" hearing what his father said, Ed couldn't help but smile proudly

"Nice to see him grow up well – last time I saw him he was so tiny" Pinako said, which made Ed dropped his smile "Now, now… why don't you guys come in and have a cup of tea?"

Winry was still confused. She knew that her grandmother hates the military so much – after all, it was that call to the Ishbal war frontline by the military that took the lives of Pinako Rockbell's daughter and son-in-law – Winry's parents. But now, they sat together in their livingroom, drinking tea that she had just brewed. She sat next to her grandmother, while the military man and his son sat across them.

"Edward, Winry, since it's been a very long time since you two met, why don't you guys play outside together?" Roy said. The two were surprised and looked at each other awkwardly. "I need to speak with Mrs. Rockbell". Hearing that, Ed knew immediately what to do. "Alright dad, I'll be outside with her. Come on, uh… Winry" he said. The two kids then left the house and close the door, and they could hear them stepping away from the house and on to the grassy fields.

"…So you took Edward as your son?" Pinako asked as she put her cup of tea back on the table.

"Yes… A lot of things had happened for the past few months. I reckon that it's time for him to know the truth of his past" Roy said

"Truth?"

"He… never knew that he was adopted, he didn't know anything except that I'm his father and he got no mother. He never really asked about his mother either. Back when me and Riza took him to Central, I handed him to the state laboratory for further research… but it turns out that he was treated very badly, like an animal… remembering him in that state back then always wrenched my heart. Then I struggled to get the Fuhrer's permission to get his custody but only in one condition – to teach him alchemy and raise him as a state alchemist candidate"

"That boy? A you raised him as a military weapon? Mustang, I know you are a state alchemist but…"

"I have no choice, Mrs. Rockbell! In the military's eyes, he's only a scientific specimen – a potential living weapon. At first, I thought I made a mistake. I was young and struggling, and marriage or having children wasn't on my agenda. But… years of raising him, it changed me. Edward… I might taught him alchemy and all, but he taught me something else, something way more precious than alchemy that I couldn't quite describe"

"And… your reason for coming here, all the way from Central?"

"He… he have to know his past. He might be young, but it's better for him to know the truth now. He just learned about sex education in his school and because he got no mother, some kids in school bullied him in a very harsh way, making stories about his mother such as she was a slut or something. I can't hide it anymore."

"Are you prepared for the consequences, Mustang?"

Roy took a deep breath and sighed "I… to tell you the truth, I don't know if I can handle it if he will hate me for this but… I love him so much, and I'm telling this for his own sake. I… whatever happen, I am prepared"

Pinako sighed, put her smoking pipe down and gave her trademark smile "I knew it from the very beginning you hold Ed in this house, when you and your female subordinate brought him from the old Elric house, you are different from all those other state alchemists and military folks I knew, and had you been his father, you would do great. I never knew that you did actually adopt him and as far as I see, you had raised him well. He's a well-mannered boy for his age"

"He wouldn't be what he is now without my superiors and my subordinates, Mrs. Rockbell. You know, for them… Edward is their son, their little brother and their nephew"

"You sure you won't regret this, Mustang?"

Roy sighed again "I hope I won't."


	27. Chapter 27

Edward glanced left and right as they walked. Resembool is just the same everywhere they turn around – mountains, trees, green grassy fields, farm animals, and more trees, more green grassy fields, and so on, and so on. He remembered that his father mentioned that Resembool is his birthplace, but after they left their belongings in the Rockbells' house all Roy did was simply told him to follow and they walked quite far away from the Rockbells' house now. That pint-sized granny Pinako said that he and Winry played for a little while once before his father took him to Central when he was very young. Meanwhile, Roy was quite surprised that Ed hasn't complained about walking too far. He usually hates long walks, and he remembered how much he complained when they went on a hiking trip a few months ago and made him swore that he won't take his son to any hiking trips for a while – maybe he had gotten stronger legs now?

At last, they arrived in front of the Elric residence. It hasn't changed much over these years – still the same abandoned old house that Roy saw many years ago. Remembering how small Ed was when they rescued him from that basement and seeing how big he is now when he stood in front of the house now, Roy almost dropped a tear. But he hold it back, and he took a deep breath, telling himself that there is no turning back now that they've come this far.

"Edward"

Ed turned towards Roy "Yes, dad?"

"Come here"

Ed walked to him closer obediently and Roy suddenly gave him a bear hug.

"Dad?"

"Ed, listen to me; I want you to know that no matter who you are or what you are, you are my son, and I love you so much"

"…Why so sudden, dad?"

Roy let go of his son and placed his hands on his son's shoulders

"I am going to tell you your past"

Roy grabbed his son's hand and they walked towards the old house. He tried to open the front door, but he can't – just like many years ago, it is still locked. He then went to the back and found the back door with the broken key. Roy pushed the door in and they entered the house. Things pretty much remained the same as Roy remembered it – a foul stench and the heavy dusts. He noticed that the furniture are still there, left in their positions like the last time someone lived there and covered in very thick dust. Had the dusts removed, the furniture renewed and the walls repainted, the house would be a nice place to live. Roy then let go of Ed's hand.

"Here it is, Ed – your home"

"My… home?"

"Eight years ago, I came with Riza to Resembool to look for an alchemist named Von Hohenheim. We were assigned by the military to catch him because he was rumored to be committing human transmutation"

"…And?"

"…We found you here in this house's basement. You were so tiny and helpless… we couldn't leave you alone, so we took you to Central… and I raised you… as my son…"

Ed trembled. Tears started to flow out of his golden eyes "Why… why did you…. never told me this? Why did you always lie, saying that I am your son?"

"Ed, I never lie to you. You are my son"

Roy reached out his hands to Ed, wanting to wipe his son's tears, but Ed slapped his father's hand away "But I'm not your real son! You lied to me!"

"Edward, listen to me!"

"Why should I? You're not my father!"

"_That's right, he's not. You shouldn't listen to him anymore now that you know" _

Roy and Ed quickly turned their attention towards the door, where they heard an unexpected voice of a person that they never expected to see here

"Alphonse?"

Ed quickly wiped away his tears and confronted his school rival "W-What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why, is it wrong to be in my own home?"

"Your home?"

"Yes, this is my home… and also your home"

"What do you mean?"

"Ed, we are siblings. In fact, we're twin brothers"

Roy and Ed were shocked hearing his statement

"You… you're lying! A… an asshole like you couldn't be my twin brother!" Roy would've slapped Ed for using such language in front of him, but now is not the right time – and remembering what Ed wrote in his diary, he thinks that the boy deserved it. Meanwhile, Alphonse sighed and shook his head "Alright, how about if you ask our mother?"

Ed froze "…Mother?"

"Mother! Come here! Big brother would like to see you!"

And from the back of the door, a beautiful woman stepped into the room. Both Roy and Ed recognized who she is

"JULIET DOUGLAS?"

Roy couldn't believe his eyes – the woman known as the assistant of the Fuhrer is actually the mother of his adopted son "Y-you? How did you… you are… Edward's mother?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, but Juliet Douglas is not my real name. My real name is Trisha Elric"

The name rang a hard bell on the flame alchemist's head – the sketch of the woman that he and Riza found in this house many years back – it was her!

"Elric…? Isn't that… my middle name?" Ed asked

"It's… your _real_ family name, Edward. I took it as your middle name when I adopted you" Roy answered

"So… you're… my mother?"

Trisha smiled "Yes, I am"

"But… but wait! You're my mother, and also Alphonse's mother… and he said he's my twin brother! But why… why did you say all those mean words to me and my dad? Why did you always pick on me at school and made me hate you so much? Why, Alphonse? Why?"

Alphonse calmly answered "I did not mean those words, Ed. Those are just one of our tactics to make you hate Roy Mustang"

"…Why?"

"We wanted to save you from him, Edward. All those years we – me, Alphonse and your aunt Lyla saw you being so attached to him, we thought that you would be hurt when you know his true purpose on why he raised you. That's why… I told Alphonse to provoke you so that you either would hate Roy Mustang, or it would drive him to drag you here and try to explain everything – and… there it is, he did the latter"

"Just… JUST TELL ME THE REASON WHY HE RAISED ME? WHY HE RESCUED ME? WHY HE TOOK ALL THE TROUBLE?"

"Edward, you were raised to become a state alchemist. That's why Roy Mustang adopted you, and taught you alchemy so enthusiastically. If he succeeded, the military will reward him a very high-ranked position"

This time, Ed turned to Roy. He just stood there, speechless, without any clear expression of his feelings

"…Is it true?"

Roy turned his eyes towards Ed. The boy grew impatient, and asked again

"…Is it true that you raised me so that I would become a state alchemist?"

Roy kept silent

"Answer me! You said that you never lie to me! Answer me!"

Finally, Roy spoke,

"That's true."

Edward was lost at words. For the first time in his life, fear and terrible disappointment felt him. All along, the man that he always turn to, the Ishbal war hero that he took pride of, the person that he always wanted to be like when he grow up – his inspiration of his dream, to become a state alchemist and help the country while his dad had rise through the ranks and become Fuhrer. It all now shattered to pieces.

"Edward,"

Ed turned to Trisha, who claimed to be his mother. She went closer to Ed and wrapped her in a gentle hug.

A sweet flowery scent, a gentle, warm hug… something that he never felt before in his life.

_Is this… how a mother's hug felt like?_

As he felt his disappointment and anger soothe away, he fell asleep in her hands and Trisha stood up as she carried him in his arms.

"It seemed that he fell asleep… alright Alphonse, time to go"

"Wait! Where are you taking him?" Roy asked.

Hearing that, Trisha turned to him "It is none of your business. I am his mother, and it is up to me where I'm taking it. He is no longer of your responsibility, Mr. Mustang. Thank you for taking care of him"

And after saying that, they went out of the old house and disappeared.

And on that hill, Roy sat lifelessly for hours, trying to sort things in his head.

_Maybe I explained it wrong? Or maybe I should've brought Riza and he subordinates to help him explain? Or maybe… _

Whatever was wrong, he had lost Edward now. Even if he did trace him and get him back, he will no longer trust him and their relationship would never be the same.


	28. Chapter 28

Author's note:

Reformatting was faster than I thought! Took me two days to do it and just an hour to post everything on ! I hope you can read this story more comfortably. I focused more on reformatting rather than spell check, grammar and sentence structure because I am now in university and I have assignments to do, sorry! Anyways, as you realized it from the previous chapter, I put some continuation on this update! Enjoy reading!

After a few hours, he gets himself up and walked back to the Rockbells'. He head to report what happened to the military and told everyone that Ed is back with his _real_ family

_God, I can't believe those words would hurt me so bad. _

But when he arrived at the Rockbells', many villagers surrounded the house. It seems that something had happened. Worried, he rushed back to the house and went past through the crowds. Before he entered the house, he asked one of the villagers

"Excuse me… what just happened here?"

"I don't really know sir, but it seems that the Rockbells have just been robbed… heard Granny Pinako and lil' WInry was hurt… don't know the details…"

Roy was shocked "Thanks!" he rushed back to the house and pushed the door hard "Mrs Rockbell! Winry!"

He found them in the patients' room, lied on stretchers - bandages covering their limbs. Winry was crying, and Pinako said nothing. The local police and a local doctor were next to them.

"What… what just happened?"

The local police then brought him outside of the patients' room and explained to him what happened while he's gone

"They said that two strangers dressed in black – one kid around the age of Winry's and an adult lady – they attacked the two and searched the house, and took the belongings of your son, Lieutenant Colonel. We found it kind of odd because other than your son's suitcase, they took nothing else."

Hearing that, Roy quickly asked permission to speak privately with Pinako Rockbell. The local doctor then brought Winry to her room while Roy closed the patients' room door and asked the guards to let nobody comes in until he finished talking with the old Rockbell mechanic.

"Mrs. Pinako Rockbell"

"What? I already told the police everything"

"No you did not, Mrs. Rockbell. You still haven't told them everything"

"What else do you wanna know?"

"About the Elrics, Mrs. Rockbell"

Pinako gasped, and quickly turned away

"W-what about them?"

"I need you to tell what happened to them"

"W-why should I? How did you know that I know?"

"I glanced at the pictures on the corkboard… and I saw a particular picture that I found very familiar – the man that had been wanted by the military for years, Von Hohenheim, Trisha Elric, and a pair of twin boys with odd-colored hair and eyes… and one of them is my son, Edward, and his twin brother… Alphonse"

"How did you know about Trisha and Alphonse?"

"When I took Edward to the old Elric house where I found him, they were in there and took Edward away from me – they convinced him that I was raising him for my sole advantage to rise through the ranks. He was already shocked when I told him he wasn't my biological son and he wouldn't listen to anything I say anyways, since I am _not_ his parent"

Pinako sighed. For a long time, she looked down to the floor without a word

"And before they took Edward from me, they came here and attacked you. Looking by the wounds… I knew that a regular woman and a kid couldn't possibly make those wounds. And they couldn't possibly be attacking you just to get Ed's belongings – you must have information that would threaten them if I know. And I want honest answers, Mrs. Rockbell. I saw pretty much all those proofs of human transmutation in that house. I wanted to know, what really happened to the Elrics? Where is Von Hohenheim?"

Pinako sighed again "Alright, I'll tell you all I know"

"_When he first came here… Von Hohenheim was just a man who simply came from Central to live in the countryside. I remembered back then – those days when Resembool was growing at its peak… the area in front of the station weren't empty fields like today – there were lines of shops and bars, and a hostel where he stayed during the first years he lived here. He was friendly, and a great help to the townspeople. After he helped us a lot with his alchemy, we would give him free food and the hostel owner would never took any single penny from him. He was a charming man back then, and every one or two nights we would go down to the bar to have a drink together. _

_Trisha was the daughter of the hostel owner where he stayed. She was the finest young lady in Resembool, and it was no surprise to us that she would end up having a relationship with a charming man from a big city like Hohenheim. And then it happened – the civil war. The Ishbalans tore our town apart – they turned the whole area into ash. Many people died, including Trisha's parents. Refugees went to live into the further area of Resembool, and Hohenheim helped us rebuild our homes. He shared his with Trisha, and then it became natural to consider the two married. The condition back then didn't make it possible to make a proper wedding ceremony – even Winry's parents didn't have one, too. When we heard the news that Trisha was pregnant, the whole Resembool were very pleased. Somehow Hohenheim and Trisha's child become the new hope of Resembool, and everyone do their best to help the two. We were even more than pleased when we heard that they're going to have twins, and they told us what names would they give to their children – I remember Hohenheim telling me that if they are twin boys they would call them Edward and Alphonse. But then, she caught pneumonia and died on the sixth month of her pregnancy. All of us were very sad, and once again… Resembool had lost another hope. Unfortunately, the weather was very bad the time she died. There was a rainstorm and we couldn't hold a funeral immediately, so we all decided to wait until the storm is gone. _

_But on that day, the third day after she died… we saw a very bright light coming out of their home. It was as if a very huge lightning had struck the whole house from the sky. We all fled from our houses and approached the Elric house with caution, but nobody dared to come nearer than ten meters away because the sparks of alchemic reactions kept coming. A week after the incident, some men finally dared themselves to enter the house. I heard that they found nothing but the house empty and stench of blood everywhere. They called and called for Hohenheim… until they heard babies crying from nowhere. They thought that the place was haunted, until you came around a year and a half later and brought a small boy to this house – which I assume as Hohenheim and Trisha's son. And those people you met in the Elric house… the ones who brought Edward away… that must be Trisha and her other son…" _

A few moments after Pinako ended her story, Roy finally spoke "So you believe that Hohenheim had committed human transmutation in order to revive them?"

Pinako nodded, and sighed as she turned away "Trisha and Hohenheim are like my children, you know…. Trisha and my son were like brothers and sisters back when they were very young… and before my son and his wife were sent to the Ishbal fields, they were very close to Trisha and Hohenheim. They were there when Winry was born, and become her godparents"

After she took a deep breath, she turned back to Roy and spoke again "You know, Mustang. I am no alchemist; I'm just an automail mechanic who knows nothing about alchemy. But hearing your story on what happened at the Elrics' house… if it is the same woman and kid that attacked me and Winry, I knew it wasn't her. That woman… she's not Trisha. Trisha would never do or say something like that…"

Looking at Pinako, Roy sighed and nodded. "Alright, thank you. I'll be taking my leave now,"

"Before you leave Resembool, can I ask you a favor?" Pinako asked

Roy turned back, "Yes, anything," he replied

"Please…save that boy… Edward"

Roy smiled "I was going to save him even without you asking – he's my son after all. A father… will save his son when necessary… without doubt, right?"

Hearing that, Pinako's eyes widened, and then she smiled.

"Thank you," she said, "I wish you luck."

And then Roy Mustang left the house… with a determination that he will come home with his son in his arms once again. Screw the promise he made with the Fuhrer – Edward Elric Mustang is his son.

_But then, where to start?_ He asked himself. He has no single clue where to find Ed…


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The first thing Roy did was asking everyone in Resembool – whether they have seen Ed or not – using his recent photograph that was taken by Maes a few days before they left. Nobody could mistake him with another boy – he has unique hair and eye color. When questioned and shown of Ed's photograph, people shook their heads, leaving Roy almost hopeless. But when he asked the people at the station, he was lucky that an eyewitness saw him taken out of Resembool with a woman and another boy – they seemingly look like twin brothers, and were heading to Central. Hearing that clue, he then packed his suitcase, bid farewell to Granny Pinako and Winry Rockbell, and then leave to Central. Before he left, he contacted down Maes and Riza and tell them about what happened, and told them to do preliminary research about Edward, Alphonse, and Trisha. And after that, he departed to Central.

Along the journey, he couldn't help but thinking – was all this a mistake? Was it way too early to tell him the truth of his past? The truth about the birth story behind Ed was way too painful for a child his age to know – or even for him to know forever, so everything was a mistake from the beginning? Should he just keep the secret sealed forever?

But then Roy came up to a realization that blaming himself means that he's not Roy Mustang – he's not Ed's father. What he's trying to do was just right. What happened… was just beyond everyone's imagination. – That was Riza's words. He's no psychic; he didn't know it'd happen, so it's not his fault – that was what Maes said. Now all he had to do is be strong and fight for his son back – that was what both Riza and Maes said.

That being said, determination shines in his pair of onyx eyes once more…

As soon as he stepped out of the train, Riza, Maes, and Havoc greeted him – Riza and Maes then informed him that Roy's subordinates were informed already and is helping with Ed's search. He was then escorted immediately to the car, and given the SITREP by Riza.

"We tried looking towards Alphonse Heidreich's information from the Amestris Academy, but found that there are only servants living in the house – the head butler said that Alphonse and his mother Lyla left the house the day after you left Central with Ed, and haven't returned home since then. We tried to look for Juliet Douglas, but the furthest information we can get now is that she had been absent the day before you and Ed left. Other than that, nothing else… it's very hard to obtain information about her for some odd reasons. It's like they tried to cover it up"

Roy's eyebrows rose when he heard the last sentence.

"That's… an odd reason. By the way, has the Fuhrer got any idea about what we're doing? Does he realize that Edward is missing?"

"I don't think so… We were careful to keep this a secret, somehow... Major Armstrong suggested that we should keep this to our unit for now" Havoc said. Roy snorted. Major Armstrong of all people suggested keeping this as a secret.

After their arrival in the Central Military Headquarters, just as they were about to get out of the car, Danny Brosch approached them – he just went out of the Headquarters' main door in a hurry and quickly approached them. He knocked on the car's window, and Riza lowered it. As he peeked into the inside of the car, he saluted in reflex seeing Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang sitting in the car next to Riza.

"Ah – Lieutenant Colonel Mustang! Just in time…" he said between his breaths. He was slightly panting and sweating – a clear indication that he was running.

"What is it, Sergeant Brosch?" Riza asked

"Um, here it is, sir…" Brosch said, as he produced an envelope from the back of his uniform jacket and passed it to Riza's hands, "Major Armstrong ordered me to give it to you. It's for Lieutenant Colonel Mustang – please leave the headquarters immediately and read what's written in it along the way. The rest of the team is preparing to leave right now, and I will come along with them. Alright then, good day, sir!" he saluted once more, and then hurry back in to the headquarters building. Roy didn't fully understand, but Riza quickly rose up the window again and Havoc quickly left the Headquarters' gate.

"Please read the letter immediately, sir." Riza said. Roy took the envelope from her and opened it. He glanced towards Riza, who is now pulling one of her guns out of her holster and started to do some makeshift maintenance on it. Seeing her action, he got a basic idea on what the letter said. And then he shifted his attention towards the letter paper.

_To Lieutenant Colonel Mustang, _

_After much research and observation, we have found Edward's location. _

_Since you have mentioned that the person involved here is Juliet Douglas, Fuhrer King Bradley's direct secretary, we are extremely careful so that the information we received does not leak to people outside our unit, especially to the Fuhrer himself. We have suspicions that there might be those of the higher ranks involved within this. As you read this letter, we are now taking you to a secret hideout and after re-arranging our strategies we will depart to Edward's location. Along with this letter are documents regarding to this case, and you might be aware that some of these documents are top secret of the nation and having knowledge of it might get you a big penalty. We hope that these might be helpful. _

As they went along the way, Roy read up the various documents attached. List of cases regarding to conspiracies of state alchemists regarding to human experiment – Von Hohenheim's name is mentioned many times. No wonder why Edward's real father was a wanted man – he had aided some of these conspiracies and those related to it. Another was a document about Juliet Douglas – it was a name of a sergeant who died during the Ishbal war, way before King Bradley established her as his secretary. And the document that he interested in the most – The Homunculus Project.

Roy began reading The Homunculus Project document – as soon as he read the first sentences of the document, he was well aware that this is one of those documents mentioned as "top secret of the nation" and "would cause him great penalty if they found out that he got this piece of document in his hand" – at this rate, it's death penalty. Because one, it is regarding about the ultimate taboo in alchemy and the biggest law-breaker act done by an alchemist – human transmutation. Two, the document was certainly written in formal state alchemist report format – which means that this project was funded and approved by the government. Three, he is uncovering a large government secret – which is obviously dangerous. He glanced up towards Maes, who sat on the front row. Maes suddenly turned his head towards him, and seeing that his best friend's face was sheer in horror, he just smiled and winked, and then turned his attention back to the road. That moment he promised himself that he will return the favor someday – his best friend had just sacrificed something really huge just to get this document. Not only Maes, but also all of his unit members. They have sacrificed their clean job records and their precious time to help him.

After he finally finished reading the document, Roy finally gets it – 'humans' created by alchemy are called homunculus, and Edward is one of them. Trisha and Alphonse were too, and Von Hohenheim creates all of them.

According to the document, Von Hohenheim created seven homunculi, and their current locations are all unknown. It is also stated that all homunculi possesses powers beyond humans – some are beyond imagination. _That would explain why Edward is an alchemic prodigy _– he thought. And The Fuhrer himself seemingly knowing about Edward's talent… this means that the whole homunculus project is possibly a matter of great conspiracy.

Roy glanced at the window. They were now passing by the Great Bridge of Grand Central – the bridge that separates the Amestris main military block in Grand Central with the civil lands. It is also a sign of greatness, since those who are able to cross the bridge are those who are blessed with glory and pride of the country.

"Stop." Roy suddenly said. Havoc immediately hit the brakes.

"What is it, buddy?" Maes asked, shifting himself to turn his head to his best friend in the back seat, "We have to hurry to the hideout, you know?"

"It won't take long. Just five minutes." Roy then went out of the car, followed by Riza. He stepped a bit further from the car and looked straight at the Grand Central building with sorrowful eyes.

"Hey Riza, do you remember why we decided to pursue the world across this bridge?"

"We are going to change Amestris into a better place, sir." Riza answered briefly, and then continued with a softer, tender tone "…That's what we promised during our youth, shortly after Ishbal War ends…" she answered as she looked down to the ground.

"…Do you remember your other promise to me?"

Riza looked up, "Which one, sir?" she asked

Roy turned his head to Riza "That you're going to shoot me when I'm out of track"

Riza gasped.

"Riza, am I doing the right thing?"

The female soldier gulped.

"I'm about to save an enemy of the country – homunculus, creatures that are going to tear apart the country."

"Edward's your son!" Riza snapped. She couldn't believe it, how could he describe his beloved son in that way?

"He _was _my son, Riza. He knows that I'm not his father; he thinks that I'm deceiving him all along and what he's doing right now is for his family – that's what he thinks. He doesn't know about the dark secret of the homunculus project – after all, he's just a boy. What does a fourth grader know about the government and the country?"

"But then… all those years… all those years you showered him with love and care? All those years we took care of him and treated him like our own family?"

"Riza, try to imagine you're in Edward's shoes. Try to think how he feels right now that he just learned the fact that he have a real mother, a figure he never had before in his life… and a sibling, something that he always wanted"

Riza shut her eyes for a moment, and then she opened her eyes and looked straight at her superior's eyes, "I… I understand, sir."

"Right. And you should understand right now that the current possibility is that Edward is likely to choose to side with the homunculus even though we tried to help him. And from the moment he decided to go with his mother and brother, he's already becoming my enemy – no, _our _enemy. The enemy of the whole nation"

Riza gasped as he heard him mention his own son as _the enemy of the whole nation. _It seemed that yesterday they only rescued an innocent little boy and raised him, and now they have to consider him an enemy.

"…And despite the truth, I'm still going to save him."

Riza looked up, "Pardon me, sir?"

"I'm still going to save him."

Riza didn't like where this is going.

"I'm being selfish, I think about my own feelings rather than the sake of the country – I broke our promise."

Roy spread his arms wide and looked straight towards Riza's trembling face, "Feel free to shoot me."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"NO!" Riza snapped, "I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT!"

Roy twitched one of his eyebrows "No? Are you sure that's an answer of a responsible soldier?" he asked.

Still trembling, Riza grabbed one of her handguns and pointed it towards Roy. It surprised him this time, and he instantly raised both of his hands. He didn't think that his subordinate really dared to point a gun at him.

"P-Permission to speak freely, sir" she asked nervously

"Permission granted" he replied at ease

Riza stepped forward and released the safety lock of her handgun. Roy raised both of his eyebrows in surprise hearing the safety lock's click – he thought it was off already when she aimed it to him.

"Shut up, Roy. What do you think you're doing? You're a soldier. A soldier has to stay on his duty to serve the nation until the end. And you know that we have to stay on our promises for the sake of the future of the nation!"

Riza trembled, tears started to flow down her cheeks. "But you…"

Roy didn't dare to say a word seeing her breaking down in tears in front of him, gun still pointed at him.

Riza lowered her gun as she continued her sentence, "But you're also a father…"

What Riza just said felt more hurting in his heart than a bullet piercing through. She just shot him with his words, right on his heart.

Riza marched forward and slapped Roy with her handgun.

"A father's duty is to protect his son until the end! And that… that's more important than anything… in the world."

Rain started to fall. Riza still looking straight towards her superior, her eyes were burning red with tears flowing down her cheeks.

Roy stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.

"…You were right, Riza. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Now… let's go save your son before I have to shoot you."

And then Roy pressed his lips to hers. Riza blushed as they broke apart, and Roy took off his coat to shield her from the rain as they went back in to the car.

"Finally, after the loooong years, huh?" Maes said, "Now Ed's officially got a mommy"

Havoc just sighed and replied, "The Mustang father and son are sure lucky bastards, eh? Havin' someone as fine as Riza to be Mrs. Mustang…"

"Mm-hm"

And right after Roy and Riza went back in to the car, they continued their journey immediately. When they arrived at their secret hideout, Roy was surprised to see all the people in his unit were there.

"You all do realize that this is only a selfish mission of mine to save my son? Even if we get out of this fight alive, it won't add any points for promotion – you might even get demoted, kicked out of the military… heck, if things goes wrong, being let to live is a blessing already…"

Hearing that statement said by their own Colonel, everyone laughed.

"What are you talking about, Colonel? Edward is a valuable member of our unit!"

"He's our mascot!"

"He's like a little brother to me."

"More like a son to me!"

"He brightens up the mood in the boring office!"

"I never liked children, but Edward's a different case!"

"And this regards to the future of Amestris too!"

"Yeah! We have to stop an innocent child being a victim of dirty politics and conspiracy!"

Roy tried to hold up his tears hearing each and every word his comrades say. He never realized that Ed was more than the son of their superior officer – they treated him just like a family.

"Roy, if this has to be called a selfish mission, then we're all being selfish here!" Maes finally added.

"Alright then everyone, let's start the briefing!" Roy said with a smile on his face – a smile of pride.

Meanwhile, down in the deepest, darkest part of Amestris, lies a secret chamber. To get there, you have to go through a maze of sewer tunnels that reeks of waste, and you might end up dying as a tunnel rat if you can't find your way out. However, the homunculi know their way through as if they're playing in their own backyard. Juliet Douglas, Alphonse and Edward, now known as Sloth, Wrath and Pride, stood right in a room full of complicated runic circles.

Edward is now with his shoulder-length golden locks let loose and dressed in black, sleeveless turtleneck and a black pair of leather pants and boots, along with red temporary tattoo painted over his arms – they said that the paint is made of rare bloodred petalite that is believed to be able to boost alchemic powers when painted on an alchemist's skin.

"Here, brother" Al said as he tossed a jar to Ed. He caught it, and looked at what's inside – it's some kind of candy with bright red color, but it's glowing. He remembered when he was younger the Fuhrer tried to give him some, but Selim came and startled him before he managed to eat one.

"What are these, actually?" Ed asked.

"Those are the philosopher's stone." Al answered, "For human alchemists, it allows them to transmute anything without equivalent exchange – many called it the wish-granting stone. But for special beings like us… they're food"

"Food?"

"By consuming the philosopher's stone, we will become stronger – we will have more physical strength and alchemy power"

"Really?"

"Why not try one?" Sloth offered.

Ed gulped, and ate one bit of the stone. He suddenly felt inner strength rushing in his whole body. And then, he tried his alchemy skills, and managed to transmute a fresh, living flower out of thin air.

"Wow…" Ed was amazed by his own skills. He could not believe how amazing the stone is. He grabbed the jar again and starting to eat all the stones.

"Eat them all, Pride. We're going to need it for our battle soon…" the beautiful woman said as she stroked the golden haired boy's head with a mysterious smile.

It feels like an eternity in the underworld of Amestris, or known as the sewers. The smell is nasty, and there are lots of cockroaches and rats everywhere, and everywhere looks the same – wet, damp and cold. Their only source of lighting is the dim lights and some flashlights that his subordinates brought. However, Roy could only trust his subordinates for now. Nobody told him exactly where he was lead to – Armstrong was the one who ordered so because if Roy knows the exact location of his son, he will just rush in there without thinking. They can't risk him to do that, because it will blow up the whole thing. So he told Havoc to remember the path and be their navigator.

"Remember, Roy. Our enemies this time are not humans, they have the philosopher's stone, and they're very dangerous. We don't have time for mistakes, and rushing everything won't save your son" Maes said.

"Okay. I understand. Just…just lead me to the right way." Roy replied.

And after endless walking in the tunnels of the nasty sewers, they finally arrived in front of a huge stone door. There are no doorknobs or even a keyhole, just only one line of this Latin sentence carved on it:

_Me secum in carne mea alchemy ultimum peccatum, sint mundi variari potest, quod sacrificium pro cognitione diei_

Roy recognized those words. He just stepped forward and started to draw complex runic circle on the door, and fused energy on it. The door opened. 

"How did you know that was the key, Roy?" Maes asked.

"Those words…are carved within the edges of the transmutation circle on Ed's back" Roy said flatly.

"It seems that it's written in Latin…" Rebecca added as she walked into the door, following the others.

"Latin is the language of alchemy after all, Becca. Every alchemist must be fluent to Latin to fully understand alchemy. Starting this year, the national examination board added Latin to the annual state alchemist test" Lieutenant Ross explained.

"I wonder what does the words on the door say… hey Roy, care to tell us?" Havoc asked. Roy suddenly stopped. Everyone followed, confused.

"…In my flesh I carry the ultimate sin of alchemy, for I am to be sacrificed for the knowledge that can change the world…"

"…What's that?" Maes asked. Roy didn't budge.

"The meaning of the words carved on the door…and on Ed's back."

Everyone gasped and shivered. Roy didn't say a word and just continue walking, and everyone followed.

CLANK.

The marching soldiers stopped their tracks when they heard a loud noise that surely came from somewhere nearby. Roy gave a signal and they all readied their weapons and stand by on combat position.

"Sir, I hear footsteps." Havoc said. Even though he isn't the brightest one, his hearing skills can be trusted.

"How many?" Roy asked without even flinching, his hands folded.

Havoc focused on his ears and when he got the answer, he went completely silent.

_No… this can't be… _

"Havoc?"

"Oh!….Two, sir."

"Just two? I wonder if this is some kind of trap or something…" Roy turned to Havoc, seeing that his subordinate's face turned pale.

"Havoc? Are you okay?"

"…The footsteps… They're…"

"What? Tell us, Havoc! It's an order!"

"They're…children…"

"Hello there, Mr. Mustang."

Roy quickly turned back to see who called him.

"Edward! …and Alphonse…"

It's Edward and Alphonse. Roy couldn't find any words to describe the state of his son. Expressionless, cold, and somehow… frightening. Very frightening.

"It's Sloth and Wrath, Mr. Mustang," Alphonse said.

"Wha-?"

"I am the seventh deadly sin of alchemy, my name is Sloth" Edward said as he clapped his hands and put them on the ground.

The whole ground rumbles and it started to crack rapidly.

"Edward…?"

"I told you, Mr. Mustang. My name is Sloth. Not Edward"

The ground collapsed and everybody fell into a seemingly endless hole. Including the two boys.

After falling into what seemingly an endless pit of darkness with no end, Roy finally felt that he had touched the ground. However, he did not feel any pain. Instead, he heard a huge splash and felt something that feels more horrible than being in pain – being _wet. _His gloves were soaked for good, but he is lucky to keep a spare pair inside the secret pocket on his military uniform top. He throw his soaked gloves and put on the new ones, and carefully stood up. He could not see anything at all, and the thought of being blinded went through his mind. But he felt so relieved when he tried to snap his fingers and could see the fire he sparked. He snapped a few times as he scanned his eyes throughout the mysterious space, trying to catch a glimpse of another survivor or something to make a torch of between the nauseating blitz of light that only survived a few seconds each time he snapped. He finally found a piece of wood, so he quickly took off his waist cloak, rip them off and wrapped it on the wood, and sparked the makeshift torch with his own fire.

"Finally, I can see something-"

He wished he didn't spark any torch at all.

He's standing in a sea of blood. Fresh, red, and stank of rusty iron. He looked around and as far as his eyes could see, it's nothing but the endless sea of blood.


End file.
